Our Firm FoundationThe 7th Day Sabbath

. .Immutable Law of God The Everlasting Gospel

Non-Immortality of the Soul Three, Angels' Messages The Sanctuary .

VoL I, NO.8

The Measurementof Forces

The Sifting,the Shaking, and theStraight Testimony

Preach the Word

Messageto Laodicea

ImportanceTrust in God

The Real Battle, see page 10

June, 1986

EditorialOnly a few months ago the

earthquake in Mexico City killedthousands and left tens of thousandshomeless. This calamity was followedshortly by the eruption of a volcanoin Columbia, South America, andmore than 20,000 are still entombedunder the mud. With 1500 killed inair crashes, 1985 became the worstyear for aviation disasters.To begin 1986 we were introduced

to a severe reduction in crude oilprices which has affected the pricesof gas a t the pump. We are now hap-pily filling our tanks with fuel wellunder a dollar a gallon. But thisreduction in price has severely jeop-ardized the international bankingsystem, for now many oil-producingnations will be unable to repay bil-lions of dollars if the price stayswhere it is.The attack on Lybia by United

States aircraft ran shivers down thebacks of the nations of the world, forthey realized that we stand at thethreshold of a nuclear holocaust. Theatomic melt-down near Kiev, Russia,recently has set in action a tidal waveof fear which has sent its shockwavesreeling around the earth.In all of these events God is trying

to awaken the Seventh-day AdventistChurch to the great responsibility oftaking the three angels' messages tothe world by the experience of right-eousness by faith. "The Lord hathopened His armoury, and hathbrought forth the weapons of Hisindignation: for this is the work ofthe Lord God of hosts in the land ofthe Chaldeans." (Jeremiah 50:25) Weall know tha t the great controversyhas nearly reached its conclusion. The

evidence is overwhelming that thefinal hour of judgment is here. Onlya moment of time yet remains. (SeeTestimonies, vol. 9, 96, 97; Testimonies,vol. 6, 14; Testimonies,- vol. 5, 234;Testimonies, vol. 8, 50, 51; The GreatControversy, 589, 590, 629) The judg-ments of God are in the land--terrorism, earthquakes, famines anddiseases, wars, and rumors of wars.These are now the beginning of

sorrows and God's sudden change indealing with a rebellious world and arebellious church. "There will soon bea sudden change in God's dealings.The world in its perversity is beingvisited by casualties,-by floods,storms, fires, earthquakes, famines,wars, and bloodshed. The Lord is slowto anger, and great in power; yet HOewill not at all acquit the wicked. 'TheLord hath His way in the whirlwindand in the storm, and the clouds arethe dust of His feet.' 0 that menmight understand the patience andlongsuffering of God! He is puttingunder restraint His own attributes.His omnipotent power is under thecontrol of Omnipotence. 0 that menwould understand that God refuses tobe wearied out with the world'sperversity, a'nd still holds out thehope of f orgi veness even to the mostundeserving! But His forbearance willnot always continue. Wh,o is preparedfor the sudden change that will takeplace in God's dealing with sinfulmen? Who will be prepared to escapethe punishment that will certainlyfall upon transgressors?" Fundamen-tals 0/ Christian Education, 356, 357Soon, very soon, total destruction

will come to those in rebellion. "Butthe day of the Lord will come as a

thief in the night; in the which theheavens shall pass away with a greatnoise, and the elements shall meltwith fervent heat, the earth also andthe works that are therein shall beburned up." 2 Peter 3:10, See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.7, 982, 983; The Desire of Ages, 780;Review and Herald, October 19, 1897"As it was in the days of Noah, so

shall it be when the Son of man shallbe revealed. The Lord is removingHis restrictions from the earth, andsoon there will be dea th anddestruction, increasing crime, andcruel, evil-working against the richwho have exalted themselves againstthe poor. Those who are withoutGod's protection will find no safetyin any place or position. Humanagents are being trained and areusing their inventive power to put inoperation the most powerfulmachinery to wound and to kill."(Testimonies, vol. 8, 50) The little timeof trouble, the great day of trouble,and the last plagues are near and"hasteneth grea tly."Probation's hour is fast closing and

it will close unexpectedly, suddenly,as an overwhelming surprise to thechurch and the world. (See Desire 0/Ages, 635, 636; Testimonies, vol. 8, 37,287; Seventh-day Adventist BibleCommentary, 989; The GreatControversy, 338, 339) And, brothersand sisters, when the crisis strikes,you will be either wise or foolish, justor unjust. The sealing angel will soonbegin his solemn work. (SeeMaranatha, 297) God help us to make;:ready today. There will soon come notomorrow.-RON SPEAR, EDITOR

-- -- ---------- ------ ----------------------------------------------- -- - - - - - - --- -- - -- - - - - - -- - ----- --- --- -------------------- . --_.-2 Ollr Firm FowzdaJioll !une. 1986

Vol. 1, No.8 June, 1986

Table of ContentsIt is the mission of Hope Interna-tional and the editors of Our FirmFoundation to give the straight tes-timony and to present Christ and Himcrucified. The days that yet remainof this world are few, and what wedo we must do quickly. We mustboldly proclaim the truths that placeus on so firm a foundation in themidst of this troubled world.-THEEDITORS

ARTICLES

The Measurement of ForcesHow do you measure a force?

Ralph Larson 4

Editor Ron SpearManaging Editor Dave FiedlerAssociate Editor Vern JenningsAssistant Editor Joseph LeathermanCopy Editor Lila Rae FrederickEditorial Secretary Clarissa FiedlerContributing Editors Colin Standish,Ralph Larson,Dennis Priebe

Art Director Bob BresnahanLayout Sharilyn KendallTypography Phyllis CovingtonCirculation Joseph LeathermanCirculation Assistant Karen Winkler

Words of Assurance Ellen G. WhiteReal encouragement, not just pleasant thoughts

The Sifting, the Shaking, and the Fernando ChaijStraight TestimonyThe future is now

The Real Battle Dave FiedlerArmageddon-the battle of that great day

Preach the Word Ellen G. WhiteThe answer to "But what should I say?"

Message to Laodicea Ron SpearA message for "as many as I love"

6

8

10

13

16

The Home, Education, and Mental Health Colin StandishTo raise a child for Christ is not a minor undertaking

Importance of Trust in God Ellen G. WhiteThe first essential in daily life

Our Greatest Need Ellen G. WhiteThe Comforter, and a great deal more

TO SUBSCRIBEIf you wish to subscribe, send your

order and donation to Our FirmFoundation, P.O. Box 940, Eatonville,WA 98328.Suggested donations for the annual

subscription arc listed below. We havekept our prices as low as possi ble, bu tif your finances cannot meet the re-quested dona tion, just send wha teveryou can. We want no one to be unableto receive this material because oflack of funds. If you are impressed togive a donation to assist in providingsubscriptions for those whose fundsmay be limited, send your giftmarked "Subscription Assistance" tothe address above. Your donation istax deductible.

Persecution by the SaintsWhen, and why, troubles arise

DEPARTMENTS

Patrick Hogan

18

20

22

28

United StatesCanada USOverseas (surface mail) USInquire for overseas air rates.

Our Firm FoundationEditorial Office:P.O. Box 940Eatonville, WA 98328(206) 832-6602

$14.50$19.75$24.50

Edi torial

Books and Tapes

Looking Back

Invitation To Writers

2

24

25

Melange

Food for Thought

Bulletin Board

29

30

31

Copyright ('J 1986Hope International

We are accepting manuscripts for possible publication in futureeditions of Our Firm Foundation. Acceptance or rejection will becommunicated only if a self-addressed, stamped envelope isprovided. Address all editorial correspondance to Managing Editor,Our Firm Foundation, P.O. Box 940, Eatonville, WA 98328

June, 1986 Ou,. Firm FmmdaliOlI 3

TheMeasurementof Forces

"Faith that worketh by love."Galatians 5:6

It is surprising how many mea-suring devices can be found in andaround an ordinary home. In ourkitchen I found measuring spoons,measuring cups of many differentsizes, pint-, Quart-, and gallon-sizecontaincrs, a cold indicator for thefreezer, a heat indicator for makingyogurt, and a hea t indicator on theoven.A thermometer hung on the bed-

room wall and another of a differenttype was in the medicine closet. Inthe sewing box I found a three-footflexible tape measure, and in a deskdrawer three different kinds ofrulers. On a closet shelf was a camerawith a light meter, on a pantry shelfa food scale, and on the bathroomfloor a scale of a different type.In the garage I found steel measur-

ing tapes (12 foot and 50 foot), a tri-square and a framing square, a volt-meter for testing the electrical cur-rents in housewiring, a hydrometerfor testing automobile batteries, a tirepressure gauge, and feeler gauges formeasuring the gap in spark plugs. Inthe car itself were a variety of gaugeswith needles and/or lights, and on thewater tank there was a gauge formeasuring water pressure. These areprobably not unlike the measuringdevices to be found in any home.May I suggest an experiment?

Gather all the measuring devices youcan find in your home, put themtogether on a table and study themfor a few moments. You will Quicklyobserve that they are of two kinds.Some are used for measuring objects,and some for measuring forces. Youcould separate them into two groups:

4 Ollr Firm FOl/1rdolioll June, 1986

To measure objects-Spoons, cups, tapes, rulers, squares,feeler ga uges.

To measure forces-Thermometers (to measure heat), lightmeters (to measure light), volt meters(to measure electricity), pressuregauges (to measure air pressure,vacuum, or water pressure), scales (tomeasure gravity's effect on an object).

Scales are perhaps a bit tricky. Wethink of using them to measure an ob-ject's weight. But is weight an intrin-sic quality of an object, or is it theeffect of gravity on that object? Achallenging question. You may settlethe matter by noting that withoutgravity an object would have noweight, but would float off intospace. So, after reflection, you willprobably put the scales in the force-measuring group.Now you have your measuring

devices separa ted in to two categories,and you are ready for the next Ques-tion. How are they used? How do theydo their work? Again, we see a differ-ence. Those devices that measure ob-jects do so by establishing the physi-cal dimensions of that object-itslength, breadth, and depth. But thosedevices which measure forces mustuse a different method. Forces do nothave length, breadth, or depth. We donot ask, How long is this light? Or,How wide is this hea t?These would be considered nonsen-

sical questions. So-how can wemeasure such forces as heat, light,and electricity? 'Somebody, somewhere, had a great

idea. Let the force do some work.Then use that work as a measurementof the .force. Let the force move a

Ralph Larson

carefully calibrated needle across theface of a gauge, or elevate mercury in°a column, or thrust a shaft out of atube, or light test bulbs of differentsizes. And this work will tell us whatwe need to know about the force.This technique has proved to be a

quite satisfactory method of measur-ing such forces as heat, light andelectricity, because these forces areremarkably consistent in theirbcha vior. They act the same wayevery day.An object that is caused by the

force of gravity to "weigh" tenpounds at sea level will give thatsame reading any time, anywhere (atsea level) on a properly adjusted scale.A fifty-thousand pound tractor

trailer combina ti on speeding downthe highway must be stopped, ifnecessary, by a relatively tiny amountof compressed air in a small tankbeneath the tractor's frame. (It maybe as little as 60 pounds of airpressure.) Yet the driver is uncon-cerned because on the dashboardbefore him is a gauge with a smallneedle tha t accurately measures theforce of the air pressure by the worktha tit does, that is, pressing againstthe carefully calibrated needle. Thusthe driver always knows how muchbraking power is at his disposal. It isthe same every day.Let us remind ourselves that the

driver cannot estimate the force inthe braking system by even the mostcareful examination of the air tank,the air lines, or the air "pots" thatare located near the wheels. Neithercan he learn anything about thesystem's braking power by carefulmeasurement of these components.The force ml/st be measured by itswork. There is no other way.

With these facts in mind, we areready to consider some forces of adifferent kind that also need to bemeasured, such as intelligence, love,and faith. These forces are like heat,light, and electricity in that theyhave no physical dimensions oflength, width, and depth, so that theymust be measured by their work.They are unlike these forces in thatthey are less specific in their effects,yet measuring them by their work canbe effective, for "A man will act outall the faith he has." (SelectedMessages, Book I, 93) With theseforces, however, gauges and metersare not effective.It would be convenient if there

were an "intelligence-meter" thatwould make lengthy IQ tests unneces-sary. Most people would be glad tohave a "love-meter" by whieh theycould quickly and accurately measurethe feclings of persons in whom theyhave a special interest. Mission boardswould like to have a "faith-meter" touse on candidates for mission service.But no such things exist. These spiri-tual forces, like the other forces, canbe measured by their works, but ob-servations must be wider and over alonger period of time. Faith and lovedo not move needles, elevate columnsof mercury, or turn on lights. Butthey do produce works, and it is onlyby these works that we can measurethem and know their quality.When we hear someone attempt to

summarize the New Testament teach-ing about faith and works by saying,"You can't be saved by works, butyou can't be saved without works," weshould not find this assertion dif-

to understand. To try to besaved by works would be putting themeasurement in the place of the force(faith). This, as we have seen, isimpossible. To try to be saved"without wQrks" would be equallyimpossible, since a faith thatproduces no works is not a genuinesaving faith. It is a spurious counter-feit, a non-faith, a dead faith. (James2:17) It is presumption. This is theverdict of the measurement.The verdict of the measurement

must be accepted. No light means noelectrical force is present. No move-ment of the needle on a brake systemgauge means no force of air pressureis present. Do not try to drive the truck.No works means no genuine savingfaith is present. Do not try to reach thekingdom of God in this pitiablecO/ldition. Let the Spirit of the LivingChrist breathe into your soul a living, I

dynamic faith, and the works willappear as surely as night follows day,works that will truly measure and

verify your faith.The mighty works of Jesus provide

us with a measurement of His faith.It was by faith that He lived a pureand holy life, worked amazing mir-acles, overpowered the elements ofnature, and raised the dead. It was byfaith that He endured the contradic-tion of sinners, surrendered Himselfto the power of wicked men, and wasobedient unto death, even the deathof the cross. It was in faith that Heuttered the triumphant shout, "It isfinished," and yielded His spirit toHis heavenly Father. His was a faiththat worked by love-unmistakablyrecogniza ble, easily measured. Evenso must our own faith be measured.Which leads to our last question:

Who needs a measurement of faith?Actually, everybody does.God docs not need a measurement

of faith for His own information. Hecan read the human heart, but the in-habitants of other worlds cannot. So-God needs a measurement of faith forjustification purposes, to show thewatching worlds why it is safe forHim to save us.

We as individualsneed somethingother than feelingfor a measurementof our own faith

The world needs a measuremen t offaith in order to distinguish betweenthe believer and the nonbeliever, andin order to distinguish between pre-tended faith and the real thing. Theehurch needs a measurement of faithin order to make wise assignments ofresponsibility to church workers. Tosend a person of weak faith to a mis-sion field, or even on a difficulthome base assignment, can be a verycostly mistake. Sometimes there isnothing that can be done except toreplace such persons, which uses upmoney.And we as individuals need some-

thing other than feeling for a mea-surement of our own faith. Withoutit, we might find ourselves disagree-ing with God. It is not inconceivablethat God might say to us, "Your faithhas been growing weaker for sometime now."And we might answer, "On the

contrary, Lord. I feci very good aboutmy faith."And when God sa ys, "Where is the

evidence? What is your faith doing?"a clearer self-realization will come tous.So-everybody needs a measure-

ment of faith, and this measurementis wha t we call works.

Works of faith canmeasure faith, butworks are not faithand cannot playthe role of faith

Is this legalism? Not at all. A workof faith cannot be called legalistic.That would be a contradiction ofterms. Legalism is a work /lot of faithin which no love is present.For example: You are driving to

work some morning, and you find anewly erected stop sign at an inter-section near your home. You stop. Butyou are not happy about it. You arethinking, "What stupid officials wehave in this city! There was no needfor a stop sign on tha t corner! This isridiculous, but if I don't stop I mightget a ticket, so I will do it."You have performed a work, but

this is not a work of faith. It is awork of the law-legalism. No love isinvolved. You had no desire to ple'lsethe officials or honor their wishes.Yet with man's laws this is enough.Man's la ws ask for nothing more thanthe outward works, the motio/ls of thelaw.God's law is different. Suppose

that you are going to be baptized, butagain you are not happy about it. Asyou enter the water you are thinking,"Wha t a stupid, old-fashioned cere-mony! They should have gotten rid ofthis years ago. It's going to get me allwet and take all of the curl out of myhair. It's ridiculous, but if I don't doit I might be lost, so I will do it."Again, you have performed a

work, but it is a work /lot of faith. Nolove is involved. It is a work of law, amotion of law-keeping, legalism. Manaccepts this kind of obedience, butGod does not. God insists that ourworks must be of faith that works by101'e. He will not accept empty mo-tions of law-keeping. Only the fruitsof faith that works by love can be ameasurement of that spiritual force

June, 1986 GlIr Firm Foundation

WordsOfAssurance

Ellen G. Wllite

"Zechariah, the son of Berechiah,the son of Iddo the prophet," began toprophesy "in the eighth month, in thesecond year of Darius"-only a fewdays after the Lord had assured theIsraelites through Haggai that theglory of the house they were buildingwould be greater than the glory ofthe former temple built by Solomon.Zechariah's first message was an as-surance that God's word never fails,and a promise of blessing to thosewho hearken unto the sure word ofprophecy."The Lord hath been sore dis-

pleased with your fathers," the Godof Israel declared unto Zechariah;"therefore say thou unto them, Thussaith the Lord of hosts: Turn ye untoMe, saith the Lord of hosts, and I willturn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.Be ye not as your fathers, unto whomthe former prophets have cried,saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts:Turn ye now from your evil ways,and from your evil doings: but theydid not hear, nor hearken unto Me,saith the Lord. Your fathers, where'are they? and the prophets, do theylive forever? But My words and Mystatutes, which I commanded My ser-vants the prophets, did they take holdof your fathers? And they returnedand said, Like as the Lord of hoststhought to do unto us, according toour ways, and according to our

6 all,. Firm FoulIdatio1l June, 1986

doings, so hath He dealt with us."[Zechariah 1:2-6]The Israelites had resumed the

work of the Lord in faith. The diffi-culties under which they began tolabor were of a most discouragingnature. Adversity had attended theirefforts to a ttain temporal prosperi ty.Their fields were lying waste; theirscant store of provisions was rapidlyfailing. Yet in the face of famine,and surrounded by unfriendlypeoples, they moved forward in re-sponse to the call of God's messen-gers, and began anew to restore theruined temple. Such a work requiredgreat faith, and the Lord gave themspecial assurances through Haggaiand Zechariah that their faith wouldbe richly rewarded, and that Hisword would not fail. The builderswere not left to struggle on alone;"with them were the prophets of Godhelping them;" [Ezra 5:2] and theLord of hosts Himself had declared,"Be strong,. and work: for I amwith you."The Lord, in mercy, warned His

people against the danger of fallingback into their old ways of negli-gence and selfish indifference. Herevealed to them the necessity ofworshiping Him in the beauty ofholiness. In former years some whosehearts were polluted with sin hadsought to please Him with the splen-

dor o( many rites and ceremonies inthe beautiful temple built bySolomon; but their worship was notpleasing to the God of whom it iswritten: "Thou art of purer eyes -thanto behold evil, and canst not look oniniquity." [Habakkuk 1:13]In the dark days of apostasy

before the captivity, God haddeclared to His impenitent people: "Ihate, I despise your feast days....Though ye offer me burnt-offeringsand your meat-offerings, I will notaccept them: neither will I regard thepeace-offerings of your fat beasts."[Amos 5:21,22] "For I desired mercy,and not sacrifice; and the knowledgeof God more than burnt-offerings."[Hosea 6:6]The Israelites who were so

diligently engaged in rebuilding theLord's house, needed to realize con-stantly that "the Most High dwellethnot in temples made with hands; assaith the prophet, Heaven is Mythrone, and earth is My footstool:what house will ye build Me? saiththe Lord: or what is the place of Myrest?" [Acts 7:48, 49] "Thus saith thehigh and holy One that inhabitetheternity, whose name is Holy; I dwellin the high and holy place, with himalso that is of a contrite and humbleSPIrIt, to revive the spirit of thehumble, and to revive the heart ofthe con trite ones." [Isaiah 57: 15]

In order that the builders of thesecond temple might make no mis-takes, the Lord plainly instructedthem, in the form of a parable,regarding the nature of service ac-ceptable in His sight. About a monthafter Zechariah began to prophesy,and just three months after thepeople had resumed work on thetemple, "in the four and twentiethday of the ninth month, in the secondyear of Darius, came the word of theLord by Haggai the prophet, saying,Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Ask nowthe priests concerning the law, saying,If one bear holy flesh in the skirt ofhis garment, and with his skirt dotouch bread, or pottage, or wine, oroil, or any meat, shall it be holy? Andthe priests answered and said, No."Then said Haggai, If one that is

unclean by a dead body touch any ofthese, shall it be unclean? And thepricsts answered and said, It shall beunclean." [Haggai 2:10-13]A soul corrupted by sin is repre-

sented by the figure of a dead bodyin a state of putrefaction. All thewashings and sprinklings enjoined inthe ceremonial law were lessons inparables, teaching the necessity of awork of regeneration in the inwardheart for the purification of the souldead in trespasses and sins, and alsothe necessity of the sanctifying powerof the Holy Spirit."Then answered Haggai, and said,

So is this people, and so is this nationbefore Me, saith the Lord; and so isevery work of their hands; and thatwhich they offer there is unclean."[2:14]A mere participation in religious

services and ordinances does notmake a sinner a Christian. A wickedman does not become righteousmerely by associating with those whofear God. A man is made holy, andacceptable with God, only when hisunclean heart is made clean by thegrace of Christ, through faith, and byobedience to words of truth andrighteousness. A work of reformationand restoration must take place inevery heart. Those who have hadgreat light and many privileges mayperform some good works notwith-standing their refusal to be saved inGod's appointed way. But their goodworks do not cleanse the soul fromcorruption. Only those who accept thelight of God's truth, choosing to obeyHim, will be cleansed from thedefilement of sin.Having admonished the builders

not to fall into the same error thathad brought their forefathers intotrial and captivity, and had resultedin the destruction of the first temple,Haggai continued:-"And now, I prayyou, consider from this day and

upward, from before a stone was laidupon a stone in the temple of theLord: since those days were, when onecame to an heap of twenty measures,there were but ten: when one came tothe pressfat for to draw out fifty ves-sels out of the press, there were buttwenty. I smote you with blasting andwith mildew and with hail in all thelabors of your hands: yet ye turnednot to Me, saith the Lord. Considernow from this day upward, from thefour and twentieth day of the ninthmonth, even from the day that thefoundation to the Lord's temple waslaid, consider it. Is the seed yet in thebarn? Yea, as yet the vine, and thefig-tree, and the pomegranate, andthe olive-tree, hath not brought forth:from this day will I bless you." [2:15-19]Wonderful assurance of divine

favor! Never, never, by their ownefforts, could the Israelites have be-come pure and holy. But when, sinfuland polluted as they were, the sportof their enemies, and suffering be-cause of a terrible drought, theyturned to the Lord in humility ofheart, confessed their sins, and choseto obey the testimonies of Hismessengers, God recognized their ef-fort to carry out His instruction, andHe accepted them as His obedientchildren. He accepted them not be-cause of their zeal and good works,but because of their faith in thepower of the coming Saviour tocleanse from sin.

The djvjneWorker spendsljttle tjme on

worthless materjalOn the day when rich blessings

were promised the Israeli tes becauseof their faith and their willingobedience, a message was given toZerubbabel, their leader. "The wordof the Lord came unto Haggai, ...saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governorof Judah, saying, I will shake theheavens and the earth; and I willoverthrow the throne of kingdoms,and I will destroy the strength of thekingdoms of the heathen; and I willoverthrow the chariots, and those thatride in them; and the horses and theirriders shall come down, everyone bythe sword of his brother. In that day,saith the Lord of hosts, will I takethee, a Zenibbabel, My servant, theson of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, andwill make thee as a signet: for I havechosen thee, sai th the Lord of hosts."[2:20-23]

This personal testimony to Zerub-babel has been left on record for ourspecial encouragement in time oftrial. Zerubbabel had been sorelytried through all the years since hehad led the Israeli tes forth fromBabylon. God had a purpose in send-ing trial to His children. He neverleads them otherwise than they wouldchoose to be led if they could see theend from the beginning, and discernthe glory of the purpose which theyare fulfilling. He subjects them todiscipline to humble them,-to leadthem, through trial and affliction, tosec their weakness and to draw nearunto Him. As they cry to Him forhelp, He responds, saying, "Here amI." Christians are Christ's jewels.They are to shine brightly for Him,shedding forth the light of Hisloveliness. Their luster depends on thepolishing they receive. They maychoose to be polished or to remainunpolished. But everyone who ispronounced worthy of a place in theLord's temple must submit to thepolishing process. Without the polish-ing that the Lord gives they canreflect no more light than a commonpebble.Christ says to man, You are Mine. I

have bought you. You are now only arough stone, but if you will placeyourself in My hands, I will polishyou, and the luster with which youshall shine will bring honor to Myname. No man shall pluck you out ofMy hand. I will make you My pecu-liar treasure. On My coronation day,you will be a jewel in My crown ofrejoicing.The divine Worker spends little

time on worthless material. Only theprecious jewels does he polish afterthe similitude of a palace, cuttingawa y all the rough edges. This processis severe and trying; it hurts humanpride. Christ cuts deep into the ex-perience that man in his self-suffi-ciency has regarded as complete, andtakes away self-uplifting from thecharacter. He cuts away the surplussurface, and putting the stone to thepolishing wheel, presses it close, thatall roughness may be worn away.Then, holding the jewel up to thelight; the Master sees in it a reflectionof Himself, and He pronounces itworthy of a place in His casket."In that day, saith the Lord of

hosts, will I take thee, ... and willmake thee as a signet: for I havechosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts."[2:23] Blessed be the experience,however severe, that gives new valueto the stone, and causes it to shinewith living brightness. iii

Review alld Herald, December 19, 1907

June, 1986 O/lr Firm Foundation 7

.-'

1 will sift t e house of Israel amongall nations, 'ke as corn is sifted in asieve, yet shall not the least {whole]grain fal upon the earth." Amos 9:9Also, in an hour that was 'very

critical to His disciple, Jesus toldPeter, ' inwn, behold, Satanhath desire to...Jlave you, that he maysift you as wheat: bu av'e prayed'for t e. at tliy faith fail not."Luke 2:11, 2As we said before, every Christian

and the pe Ie of God, as such, will:undergo a s ecial trial of faith. Thistest is calle "shaking" or "sifting."It has happened in times past, but itwill be repeated in a very specificsense on the final stage of history.TheFC' a!'c several different causes

for the fall\ng away of many mem-bers of the church, namely: 1. reli-gious carelessness and indifference, 2.persecution onsequent to the en-forcement of the Sunday law, 3.voluntary superficiality of knowledgeof divine truth. But the main causewill be the disregard or refusal toac·cept, on the part of some, the mes-sage of Christ to the Laodiceanchurch, a message of repentance andreform."Because thou art lukewarm," says

Jesus, "neither cold nor hot, I willspue thee out of My mouth." Revela-tion 3:16"I asked the meaning of the shak-

ing I had seen," she writes, referringto what. had been presented .in vision,"and was shown that it would becaused by the straight testimonycalled for·by the counsel of the TrueWitness to the Laodiceans."This will have its effect upon the

heart of the receiver, and will lead

The prophet Amos speaks symbol-ically of a sifting or shaking of God'speople, "For, 10, I will command, and

Simon, Simon,behold, Satan hathdesired to have you,that he may sift you

as wheat

They are used by Ellen White in herwritings, and one of them, "thestraight testimony," is included in theaim of this magazine, ,at the top ofpage three in the masthead.Let us take first the shaking. Ac-

cording to the dictionary the verb "tosliake" means to move something toand fro, to cause to waver, to tremble1!§ a xesult of physical or emotionaldisturbance.The servant of the Lord applies it

to a particular experience of shockthat will initiate in the church aprocess of selection and apostasy, aswell A1S a strengthening of the faith.She employs another similar word

to refer to the same experience thatwe also find in the Bible, namely, the"sifting." This word she employs inits figurative meaning when she ex-plains the act of threshing. The grainis shaken or sifted in a sieve, so thatbroken kernels, husks and foreignparticles fall through the mesh andthe chaff is blown away.

. .;

".

'.

.... ".:: > ,;

'.:.'. '.6n.eL'Cllly, .when,'.th'e d'isciples were,.' ,·.sailing'on the Sea of Galilee,

great tempest, .. , insomuch'the ship was covered with the

waves." Jesus 'was .asleep. Those men. were experienced fishermen, accus-

.. wmed to sudden dangers and theybegan fighting the elements with a)l

" their strength and expertise. But to noavail. When they had lost all hope of·surviving the tempest, all of a suddenthey recalled that Jesus was on board.When they awoke Him and told Him,"Lord, save us: we perish," He calmlyanswered, "Why are ye fearful, 0 yeof little faith? Then He arose, andrebuked the winds and the sea; and'there was a great calm." Matthew8:24-26Tha t unique experience strength-

ened the faith of the disciples morethan anything else that had happenedbefore.Every child of God, individually,

and the church, corporately, undergoat times a special trial of faith wheneverything appears' to be unstableand moving, and when 'we wonderwhether the Lord is still with us orhas abandoned us drifting amid thetremendous waves of a rough sea.But in this way God fortifies our

trust in Him when something unique.and unusual occurs in our personal,life or in the experience of ourchurch, and we do not understand thereasons or the ultimate implications.There are two very denomihational

expressions used by the Bible and bythe pen of inspiration that have aspecial significance for us at' thistime of the end: "the shaking" or"the sifting" on one hand, and "the'straight testimony," on the other.

The:,Shakingh

t,:? imnn: :'I....:..'" . .;..

8 Our Firm Foundation June. 1986

him to exalt the standard and pourforth the straight truth. Some will notbear this straight testimony. Theywill rise up against it, and this iswha t will cause a shaking amongGod's people." And sadly she addsthis comment to her explana tion, "Isaw that the testimony of the TrueWitness has not been half heeded. Thesolemn testimony upon which the des-tiny of the church hangs has beenlightly esteemed, if not entirelydisregarded. This testimony mustwork deep repentance; all who trulyreceive it will obey it and bepurified." Early Writillgs, 270Let's analyze these inspired words.

The vision regarding the straight testi-mony called for by the message ofChrist to Laodicea aroused the keeninterest of the human instrumentbeing used by God to emphasize it tothe church. And she was told tha t themessage of the True Witness wouldrequire the communication of astraigh t testimony.What is the message to Laodicea? A

message that tells us that we are luke-warm and indifferent regarding thetwo most important problems of ourlife, our Christian experience and ouroutreach activity to share the goodnews. Also it tells us that we are ter-ribly deceived with respect to ourrelationship with Christ and to ourspiritual condition; that we are happyabout our preparation for heaven,believing that we need nothing, whenin reality we are wretched, miserable,poor, blind, and naked.But Christ does not leave us in this

desperate condition. There is hope. Heoffers us three infallible remedies tobe totally healed: the gold of faithand love-the fruits of the spirit; the

These three remedies,we are assured, willheal us from ourpoverty, nakedness,and blindness

white raiment of the righteousness ofChrist-the forgiveness of sins andthe impartation of the character ofChrist; and the ointment of the Spiritand the Word of God to recognize sinunder any disguise. These three reme-dies, we are assured, will heal usfrom our poverty, nakedness, andblindness, and make us fit for heaven.Now, the expression "straight

testimony" called for by the counsel

of the True Witness-Jesus-impliestha t the message to Laodicea needs tobe stressed and taken home by us.How do we go about giving thestraight testimony? Simply by wordand action. By a changed life, on theone hand (repentance and refor-ma tion), and on the other hand by aspoken or written testimony, trying toconvince others of our real need, andto plead with them to receive themessage.

How do we go aboutgiving the straight

testimony?Simply by wordand action

The straight testimony will begiven by many in the church, sinceEllen White saw that "this will haveits effect upon the heart of thereceiver, and will lead him to exaltthe standard and pour forth thestraight truth" by mouth and byexample. .

We wish that the inspired commentwould stop right there, but unfor-tuna tely while many will be amongthe "receivers," "some will not bearthis straight testimony. They will riselip agaillst it, and this is what willcause a shaking among God's people."In other words, some will not receiveeither the counsel of the True Witnessor the straight testimony of thereceiver.They will call it extremism, fallat-

icism, legalism. They will be trustingin a cheap grace, and in a kind offaith that does not work by love andchange lives. In their self-right-eousness the words "repentance andreformation" will have a bad con-notation for them. They will insistthat any effort of the will to sur-render the life to Christ, to renounceself and to overcome their worldli-ness, their lukewarmness and !heiridols through faith by the grace ofGod, is lack of faith in the work ofthe cross.Unfortunately, because these

people would not receive the straighttestimony, "they will rise up against"the message, "and this is what willcause a shaking among God's people."Some of them will turn out to be theworst enemies of the church of God.Are we not seeing some of this

happening in our day, before our own

eyes? Are we not witnessing increas-ing groups of our own brothers andsisters siding with a "new theology"and refusing the rebuke and the kindcall of Jesus who says, "Be zealoustherefore, and repent"? Revelation3:20,21But let this not be a cause of

discouragement. It was predicted by. the inspired pen years ago. The sepa-ration within the church is happen-ing, and will continue. Let this ful-fillment stimulate us to be bold forthe Lord. Let this separation help usto seek a closer experience withChrist, who is our only righteousness,and the only source of strength andspiritual power.God help us humiliate our souls

before the Lord, look for repentanceand reformation, and be among thosewho-recognizing their a bsol u te de-pendency on Jesus-throw their im-potence on the omnipotent hand ofthe Author and Consummator of thefaith who said, "My grace is suffi-cient for thee: for my strength ismade perfect in weakness." (2 Corin-thians 12:8) Let us march on confi-dently with the loyal through theperils of the last days toward eternalvictory. I!!!I

Truth Can Never Die

Truth may be worsted in the fight,And then in scorn passed by,

Trampled in rage upon the sod,'Neath tyrant's foot and tyrant's nod;But still it holds the life of God,And truth can never die.

Ten thousand foes may plan its doomBeside the open grave,

Determined that its hallowed lightMust evermore be hid from sight,Within the deepest, darkest night,Where not a hand can save.

But all in vain men whet their swords,And raise their battIe song;

Behold, it rises from the dust,The shackles that would bind it rustWhile all the cords of bondage burst,For truth must conquer wrong.

Still vested with the life divine,Its fountain fixed on high,

It faces time and scorn and hate,Careless of high or low estate,Heedless of all that wills its fate;For truth can never die.

Robert

June, 1986 Our F"m Fouudatioll 9

The Real BattleBiblical terminology has been,

making considerable incursions intothe realm of politics recently. Thoughnot all will feel concern over thepronouncements and activities of thenewly mobilized right wing, there isat least one catchphrase that is get-ting everyone's attention: Arma-geddon. "Thinking the Unthinkable,"they call it. The term has multipleadvantages. Not only does it carry the"religious" connotations worth somuch these days in some circles, butit also evokes images of conflict sosevere as to affect the lives of everyearthly inhabitant. There is, after all,nothing so effective as plain, old-fashioned self-interest when it comes,to drawing attention.As always, the wrath of man shall

praise the Lord. Through this channelthe great Heavenly Opportunist will

find ways and means to touch heartsotherwise inaccessible to His message.But still, even the truly converted,those living above the level of selfishconcern, can find reason to inquireinto the fate of the world and themeaning of dreaded Armageddon.What has the Lord revealed? What

do we really know about Revelation16:12-16?Those familiar with Adventist

prophetic interpretation will remem-ber that for more than a centurythere have been two major views as tothe meaning of this passage. Whilethey differ in regard to the degree ofsymbolism attributed to the terms"Euphrates," "kings of the east," and"Armageddon," the two views dohold much in common. (See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol.7, 842, 843) Without fal!lting those

who favor the limited-symbolismvicw of Uriah Smith, this writerfinds more merit in the positionstaken by James White, including hisadmonition that "where the history isnot written, the student should putforth his propositions with not toomuch positiveness."In brief, the "first view" (held by

Elder Smith) sees the battle of Ar-mageddon beginning essentially as apolitical conflict and coming to aclimax when Christ and the armies ofhea ven make their appearance. The"second (held by Elder White)sees the battle beginning when theunited religious and political powersof earth attack God's remnant people.Thc conclusion, of course, is the rout-ing of the evil forces when the "kingsof the east" (Christ and His accom-panying hosts) arrive amidst the ter-rors of the seventh plague.Perhaps the most obvious reason

for favoring the second view is thedifficulty of placing the interna-tional Sunday law in the scenario.How would all the nations of theworld, while engaged in the mostcolossal conflict of all time, stillmanage to agree among themselves toextcrminate the observers of theseventh-day Sabbath? And co-operateto the point of setting a specific datefor the implementation of this deathdecree? At best, it sounds unlikely.It is more typical of the Lord's in-

struction to us that the emphasis benot so much on the affairs of theworld as on the affairs of His church.For the eternal reality of the battle isnot what happens on the field of war,but what happens in the hearts ofGod's people. Especially would this betruc in the closing scenes of earth'shistory when "the kingdoms of thisworld" are passing from existence,ncver again to playa part in the ac-tivities of God's universe. In thislight then, we see "the battle of thatgreat day of God Almighty" as a pri-marily spiritual conflict, the deviland all his hosts attacking Christ inthe person of His saints."Wait one minute, please," I hear

you say. "What about all the Spirit ofProphecy predictions of strife,warfare, and bloodshed? Surely allthis is not just "spiritual conflict."The point is well taken. It is true,

"in the last scenes of this earth'shistory, war will rage." (Review andHerald, October 19, 1897) We are notdealing here with some form ofetherealized combat; in the last daysthere will be the unmistakable, hor-rifying reality of warfare such asnever before seen on this earth. EllenWhite's description of "great balls of

10 Oil,. Firm FOltndation June, 1986

fire" which sent forth "fieryarrows," "deadly instruments ofwarfare," and "the impendingdestruction of thousands of cities"sounds very much like nuclear war.(Sec Evangelism, 29; Testimonies, vol.9, 28; Seventh-day Adventist BibleCommentary, vol. 7, 967) In any event,we can be assured that there will be atime of trouble such as never wassince there was a nation.But now the pendulum has seem-

ingly swung too far. It is only logicalto ask, once again, how all nationscould conceivably co-operate in theenforcing of the international Sundaylawand the dea th decree. Simplelogic tells us they could not.

The Battlefield of the Mind

So where do we go from here? Forthe time being, let's just stop. Let'sstop and recognize once more that theonly really important aspects of thebattle of Armageddon are thosewhich take place in the hearts andminds of men. All nations, all earthlypowers, all false religions will passfrom existence; not so with human-kind. Some small percentage fromamong the billions of earth willovercome, will meet their Lord inpeace, and will spend eternity withHim.

They areoverwhelmed withconsternation, but it

is too late

In the arena of the heart the con-flict has already begun. The prelimi-nary battles have already beenfought, already won or lost. For thechoices we make now, to a greatextent, predetermine the choices wewill make then. "The faith which willlive through the time of trouble mustbe developed now. Those who do notmake strong efforts now to exercisepersevering faith, will be unable tostand in the day of trouble." Signs 0/the Times, November 27, 1879Docs day to day life call for such

faith? It will, if you follow yourLord. Remember, He is your Trainer,your Coach. He is more concerned toget you "into shape" than you are.When He prescribes p.ersevering faith,

rest assured that He will give you op-portunity to exercise it.The experience of "the Lord's

servants" illustrates the point well. Inthe time of trouble, they have held tothe truth even though "a large classwho have professed faith in the thirdangel's message" have abandonedthem and gone over to the opposition.Now it is that their faith is tried."They entered upon the performanceof their duties without coldly cal-cula ting the consequences of speakingto the people the word which theLord had given them. They have notconsulted their temporal interests, norsought to preserve their reputation ortheir lives. Yet when the storm of op-position and reproach bursts uponthem, some, overwhelmed withconsternation, will be ready toexclaim: 'Had we foreseen the con-sequences of our words, we wouldha ve held our peace.' They arehedged in with difficulties. Satan as-sails them with fierce temptations....They are threatened with destruction.The enthusiasm which animated themis gone; yet they cannot turn back."The Great Controversy, 609Wha t wonderful words-"they can-

not turn back." Why couldn't they?'Others had. Yes, it's true, others had,but the others had never developed afaith that was stronger than theirlovc for self-preservation. They hadnevcr exercised "persevering faith"in the days of ease, and now it wastoo late, the difficulties were toogrca t, the price too high.Will you exercise a persevering

faith today? in your daily life? Andif your daily life demands no suchfaith, will you allow your Lord torna ke the necessary adjustments? Thedecision is yours, but remember, "allthe sophistry of Satan is bound up inthat one word, 'wait.' .. Review andHerald, September 19, 1893

But What About. ...

The question remains, however, asto the relationship between predictedwar (seemingly nuclear war) and theco-operation of the nations in the en-forcing of the Sunday law. Perhapsthe key is in a knowledge of thedevil's plans. Some object to aknowledge of error, claiming that itis only necessary to know the truth.They may well be right; it is certainlyhard to see a knowledge of error asessential to salvation. Yet Ellen Whitedid include a chapter in The GreatControversy entitled the "Snares ofSatan." She further counsels that"There is nothing that the greatdeceiver fears so much as that we

shall become acquainted with hisdevices." ibid., 516In only a brief sketch, we may

note that the devil has laid extensivegroundwork fo- his final deceptions.Of particular import are the teach-ings of futurism, which had theirbeginnings more than four centuriesago in the Council of Trent. In recentyears these concepts have gained alarge following among the "funda-mentalist" churches. Hal Lindsey,author of the best-selling book TheLate Great Planet Earth, is but onewell-known advocate of futurism.

But would they notprovide an excellent

antichcrist?

Futurists expect to see the raptureof the saints, the conversion of theJews, the "great tribulation," a last-day "antichrist," and a literal battleof Armageddon, followed by what weknow as the second coming.Timeta bles and even the order ofevents vary somewhat, depending onwhose interpretation you follow, butthese are the major elements of. futurist eschatology.

Does it not seem likely that thedevil will take advantage of these er-rors that he has spent 400 yearsdeveloping? His power, while nomatch for the weakest saint who callsupon the Lord, is still great, and onlytime will reveal all the deceptionswhich he may employ. In typicalduplicity may he not fill the role ofthe expected antichrist, and then'abandon those who have followedhim in that guise in order to play therole of the returning Jesus Christ?Such an event, following on the

heels of a limited nuclear war in theMiddle East, would match well withfuturist expectations. Except, ofcourse, that they would believe Satanto be the Son of God. Exactly as hewould wish. This is admittedly conjec-ture, but it is interesting to note thatthere is a move underfoot by spiritual-ists that seems to fit well with thispossibility.Peter Lamesurier, a French author

and noted supporter of the occulticFindhorn Foundation, has recentlywritten a book entitled The Armaged-

June, 1986 Our Firm FoulldaliOlI II

Jerry Falwell and theNational Sunday Law

dOll Script. His major premise is thatmany cultures and religions now inexistence have certain similarities inregard to the expected arrival orreturn of a divine being. Christiansexpect Jesus, the Jews await Messiah,Buddhists anticipate the reincarna-tion of the Great Buddha, Moslemslook for the return of Mohammed.This is important, he argues, not be-cause any of these expectations willbe fulfilled, but because they providean a venue for more easily persuadingthe peoples of the world to accept"the Christ." This being is not to beconfused with Jesus Christ--in realityLamesurier equates "the Christ" witha mighty spirit being named Lucifer.We know him as that old serpent,called the devil, and Satan.In an effort to "meet the people

where they are," The ArmageddonScript calls for "the Christ" to makehis appearance in the Middle East ac-companied by a host of "shiningones." Advancing to Jerusalem,Lamesurier sees him being proclaimedruler of the world by the adoringmultitudes of earth. He closes his

Jan Marcussen

I just came back from talking withJerry Falwell at a meeting he held athis university in Lynchburg, Virginia.Hundreds of non-Adventist ministersfrom all over the country werepresent, but my purpose in attendingwas different from theirs.I shook Jerry Falwell's hand and

read him a statement from the na-tional magazine Catholic Twin Circle,which says, "All Americans would dowell to petition the President and theCongress to make a Federal law-anamendment to the Constitution ifneed be-to re-establish the Sabbath[Sunday] as a national Day of Rest."(Also quoted in Pacific UniollRecorder, January 86, page 2)After reading it to him, I asked,

"How do you feel about this?"He said, "Personally, I go along

with it." He believes that we shouldhave a national Sunday law and thatall Americans should petition thePresident and the Congress until theyget one. Even though I was sure thathe felt that way, I have to admit thatI was amazed when he said it.Jerry Falwell talked with me

freely, even mentioning the Seventh-

12 0111' Firm FO/lndation .June, 1986

book with the words, "The script isnow written, subject only to last-minute editing and stage direction.The stage itself (albeit is yet indarkness) is almost ready. Down inth-c pit the subterranean orchestra isalready tuning up. The last-minutewalk-on parts are even now beingfilled. Most of the main actors, onesuspects, have already taken up theirroles. Soon it will be time for them tocome on stage, ready for the curtainto rise. The time for action will havecome."The Word of God assures us that

Lamesurier's expectations will nevercome to pass. But would they notprovide an excellent "antichrist"?Ha ving seen the terrors of nuclearwar (the much-talked-of limitedvariety), the world would be eager tofind anyone who could bring peace.Arising in power, the devil couldeasily "defeat" this "antichrist,"proclaim himself the returned Lordof lords, and urge observance of "theLord's day."Will it happen that way? Perhaps.

As James White would say, "Where

day Adventist Church as a barrier togetting a national Sunday law. (Likea Mordeca i in the ga te.) He wassaying some really shocking things,and I knew that if he had known whoI was, he would ha ve said no more. Iexpected him to ask me what church Ipastored, and I was prepared toproudly tell him, even though afterwhat he had said about us, his facemight have turned red. But he didn'task. Eventually, I gave him a copy ofmy book, National Sunday Law. Iwanted him to read it and get thethree angels' messages without hisprejudice getting in the way.I learned that Falwell has tremen-

dous power over ministers. I sa I'.' themall around him. Judging from what Isaw there, we must get the threeangels' messages to the public, andespecially the ministers-and do itnow! If we give God's Sabbath mes-sage to them in the right way, somewill accept it, and lead many othersto accept it too. If we don't, they willgo along in the devil's path, markedout for them by men like JerryFalwell, until they urge their peopleto petition for a national Sunday law.

the history is not written" it behoovesus to speak "with not too muchpositiveness." His wife would add,"The prophecies of Daniel andRevcla tion are to be understood. Theyinterpret each other." "By their ful-fillment in these last days, they willexplain themselves." The KressCollection, 105What then? Is it futile to consider

future events? Certainly not. We canoften learn from the explanationsthat we cannot give, as well as fromthe ones we can. Though there arecertainly modifications that could bemade to the thoughts presented here,it is difficult to find allY explanationof the Bible and the Spirit ofProphecy specifications that does notinvolve at least as much political andsocial turmoil as has been depictedhere. This is, after all, the most im-portant lesson we can learn. The con-fusion tha t would reign under cir-cumstances such as these points againto the need of fighting well the realbattle of Armageddon-the battle ofthe mind and of the heart. II

Our Father loves these men and willhelp us get the Sabbath message tothem. If we don't, woe be unto us!Falwell said, "I have a divine

mandate to go right into the halls ofCongress and fight for laws that willsave America." He's a fighter. Hesaid, "We're in a battle; we're in astruggle; we're in a fight." He made itvery plain to me that Sunday is worthfighting for. Now he's fighting forprayer in the schools. Concerning hisfighting for Sunday, he indicatedthat his timing will be determined bypeople like Seventh-day Adventists. Iguarantee you this-now is no time tohide our light under a bushel! Ilearned from Falwell's official (theField Director of the Liberty Feder-ation) that they are organizingthousands of churches allover thecountry into Moral Action Commit-tees that will work for a nationalSunday law. I know it's shocking, butwe don't have to live in fear, or inexcitement. We need to live in Christ.I tell people, "Stay very close to Jesus.Make a total surrender. There's onlyone way we can fight the devil in thismatter-get the three angels' messagesout to the public. Now is the time!"

Pastor Marcussen's book, NatiollalSUllday Law, which he mentionedabove is available from AmazingTruth Publications, P.O. Box 738Oracle, AZ 85623.

Preachthe WordEllen G. White

"But continue thou in the thingswhich thou hast learned and hastbcen assured of, knowing of whomthou hast learned them; and thatfrom a child thou hast known theholy Scriptures, which are able tomake thee wise unto salvationthrough faith which is in ChristJesus. All Scripture is given by in-spiration of God, and is profitablefor doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction inrighteousness: that the man of Godmay be perfcct, thoroughly furnishedunto all good works." [2 Timothy3:14-17]The Word of God is like a treasure-

house. It is a light that shineth indarkness. It is better to neglect any-thing of a temporal nature' than toneglect to search the Scriptures. God'has appointed that through the studyof the Bible, important truth shall becommunicated to His human agents.My heart aches as I see that evenamong those who claim to be lookingfor Christ's appearing in the cloudsof heaven, there are those who permittheir minds to be taken up with thatwhich is merely fictitious. The worldis full of such books, but God hasgiven us a definite work to do, andwe are not to turn to side issues, andemploy time and workers in sellingbooks that give no light. Christianityis an intensely practical thing, andthose who have put on Christ shouldwalk even as He walked. We shouldbe wholly engaged in the work ofGod. "Seeing then that all thesethings shall be dissolved, what man-ner of persons ough t ye to be in allholy conversation and godliness, look-ing for and hasting unto the comingof the day of God?" [2 Peter II, 12]God does not generally work mira-

cles to advance His truth. If the hus-bandman neglects to cultivate the soilafter sowing his seed, God works nomiracle to counteract the .sure result

of neglect. In the harvest he will findhis field barren. God works accordingto great principles which He haspresented to the human family, and itis our part to mature wise plans, andset in operation the means wherebyGod shall bring about certain results.Those who make no decided effort,but simply wait for the Holy Spirit tocompel them to action, will perish indarkness. We would ask those who arewaiting for a miracle, What meanshave been tried which God has placedwithin your. reach? We would askthose who are hoping for some super-natural work to be done, who simply,say, "Believe, believe," Have yousubmitted yourself to the revealedcommand of God? The Lord has said,"Thou shalt," and, "Thou shalt not."Let all study the parable of thetalents, and realize that to every manGod has gi ven his work,-to everyman He has entrusted his talents, thatby exercising his ability, he may in-crease his efficiency. You are not tosit still, and do nothing in the workof God. There is work, earnest work,to be done for the Master in overcom-ing evil habits that are condemned inthe Word of God, and in doing thosegood things that are there com-manded. Individually, you must battleagainst evil, wrench yourself from allhurtful associations, study God'sWord, and pray for divine aid to waragainst the world, the flesh, and thedevil. You need daily light from Godto fight the good fight of faith.He who does nothing until he feels

especially compelled to do somethingfor God, will never do anything. Godhas given His Word, and is this notsufficient? Can you not hear' Hisvoice in His Word? If you will useGod's appointed means, and diligentlysearch the Scriptures, having a deter-mined purpose to obey the truth, you'will know the doctrine whether it beof God; but God will never work a

miracle to compel you to see Histruth. God, in giving His only begot-ten Son to die on Calvary's cross, hasmade it possible for all men to besaved. Christ died for a ruined world,and through the merit of Christ, Godhas elected that man should have asecond trial, a second probation, asecond test as to whether he will keepthe commandments of God, or walkin the path of transgression, as didAdam. Through an infinite sacrifice,God has made it possible that menshall practice holiness in this life.Thos"e who would ascertain their elec-tion for the future life, may ascertainit by their attitude of obedience tothe commandments of God. Strongemotions, strong impulses, or desires,for heaven, when listening to adescription of the charms of the fu-ture life, will not prove that you areelected to sit down with Jesus Christupon His throne. If you would knowthe mystery of godliness, you shouldfollow that which has been revealed.The conditions of eternal life havebeen plainly stated. Jesus says: "If yelove Me, keep My commandments....He that hath My commandments, andkeepeth them, he it is that loveth Me:and he that loveth Me shall be lovedof My Father, and I will love him,and will manifest Myself to him....If a man love Me, he will keep My'words: and My Father will love him,and We will come unto him, and makeOur abode with him. He that lovethMe not keepeth not My sayings; andthe word which ye hear is not Mine,but the Father's which sent Me."[John 14:15, 21, 23, 24] Here are theconditions upon which every soulmay be elected to be laborers togetherwith God, to work in harmony withChrist, to wear His yoke, to lift Hisburden, and to follow in His foot-steps. You have been provided withmeans whereby you may ascertainwhat to do to make your calling and

June, 1986 Ollr Firm Foundatioll 13

election sure. Search the Scriptures,and you will find that not a son ordaughter of Adam is elected to besaved in disobedience to God'scommandmen ts.Should God save men in disobedi-

ence, after granting them a secondprobation, putting them to the test inthis life, they would fail to regardHis-au tilori ty in - the-7Ui:\ire life-:Those who are disloyal to Christ inthis world would be disloyal to Hiinin the world to come, and wouldcreate a second rebellion in heaven.Men have the history of Adam's dis-obedience and fall before them, andbecause of this they should be warnedagainst venturing to transgress thelaw of God. Jesus Christ has died inorder that all men may have a chanceto make their calling and electionsure; but the standard of righteous-ness in this gospel age is no less thanit was in the days of Adam, andhea ven will be the reward ofobedience.The world is making void the law

of God, but Christians are elected tofaith, loyalty, and sanctification.They are elected to obey the com-mandments of God, although in sodoing they must lift the cross.

Will continualtransgressionmake us fitsubjects ofheaven?The Bible, just as it reads, is to be

our guide. Nothing is so calculated toenlarge the mind and strengthen the'intellect as the study of the Bible. Noother study will so elevate the souland give vigor to the faculties as thestudy of the living oracles. The mindsof thousands of ministers of thegospel are dwarfed because they arepermitted to dwell upon commonplacethings, and are not exercised insearching for the hidden treasure ofthe Word of God. As the mind isbrought to the study of God's Word,the understanding will enlarge, andthe higher powers will develop forthe comprehension of high and enno-bling truth. It is according to thecharacter of the matter with whichthe mind becomes familiar that it isdwarfed or enlarged. If the mindnot raised up to make vigorous and

14 Our Firm FOllndation June, 1986

persistent effort in seeking to com-prehend truth by comparing Scripturewith Scripture, it will surely becomecontracted and lose its tone. Weshould set our minds to the task ofsearching for truths that do not lie'directly upon the surface.Ministers who are teaching Bible

truths for this time are bearrn-g to thepeople a message of a most solemncharacter, and they need to disciplinethe mind in order tha t they may com-prehend the grand theme of redemp-tion. They should understand fromwhat man is to be redeemed, and howhe is to be brought back to the para-dise of God. It was through disobedi-ence that men fell; but will continueddisobedience make him acceptable toGod? Will continual transgressionmake him a fit subject of heaven? Letministers preach the word of God. "Icharge thee therefore before God,and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shalljudge the quick and the dead at Hisappearing and His kingdom; Preachthe word; be instant in season, out ofseason; reprove, rebuke, exhort withall long-suffering and doctrine."[2Timothy 4: I, 2] Ministers are not to,preach men's opinions, not to relateanecdotes, get up theatrical perform-ances, not to exhibit self; but asthough they were in the presence ofGod and of the Lord Jesus Christ,they are to preach the Word. Let themnot bring levity into the work of theministry, but let them preach theWord in a manner that will leave amost solemn impression upon thosewho hear. Let them not present theirown ideas and fanciful notions asGod's Word, but let them present thepure Word of God, in all sincerity.Paul mentions some ministers who

wrest the Scriptures, but when theyshall appear before the Judge of allthe earth to answer for their work,they will wish that they had nothandled the Word of God deceitfully.The Lord's faithful ministers willheed the injunction given to Timothy,"Be instant in season, out of season."They will seize opportunities inseason at their appointments, and outof season when in private places bythe wayside, or in families wherethey shall visit. Through personallabor they will press the truth homeupon the conscience with all earnest-ness, declaring in fervency of spiritthat, if heeded, it will work man'ssalvation, and if neglected, hiscondemnation. They must not onlywarn men, but reprove, rebuke, ex-hort with all long-suffering anddoctrine. Many, many opportunitiesare unimproved because ministers con-sider the occasion as one out ofseason; but even under forbidding

circumstances, the Lord may fastenthe word of tru th in to the conscienceof the hearer. "In the morning sowthy seed, and in the evening withholdnot thine hand: for thou knowest notwhether shall prosper, either this orthat, or whether they both shall bealike good." [Ecclesiastes 11:6]

He was not agood minister;he was merelya preacherSatan can furnish men with end-

less excuses and evasions to causethem to neglect the duty of speakingwords of warning to those who areerring, and of presenting the truth asit is in Jesus to souls who are perish-ing. The minister who loves to ser-monize will be in danger of preachingto a great length, as though a multi-tude of words was all-essential, andthus he will become so weary that hewill have neither disposition norstrength to engage in personal effortwhen he has an opportunity of com-ing heart to heart with his hearers.The minister should be ready to openthe Bible, and according as cir-cumstances shall require, readreproof, rebuke, warning, or comfortto those who listen. He should teachthe truth, rightly dividing the Word,suiting out portions that will be asmeat in due season to those withwhom he associates. Too many minis-ters neglect to deal faithfully withthose with whom they come in con-tact. They leave plain dealing to bedone by other ministers; for they donot want to run the risk of losing thefriendship of those for whom theyla bor. If ministers would deal at theright time with those who err, theywould prevent an accumulation ofwrong, and save souls from death. Ifthe work of reproving is neglected byone minister, and taken up byanother, those who are reproved,receive the impression that the minis-ter who did not point_out their errorswas a good minister. But this is notthe case; he was merely a preacher,not a worker together with God forthe suppression of sin. In the meek-ness of Jesus, you should do the workwhich gives full proof of your min-istry. You should show a heartfeltsorrow for sin, but manifest no un-holy passion in reproving the error.

All your efforts must be made withlong-suffering and doctrine; and ifyou see but meager results of yourwork, do not be discouraged. This ex-perience will call for the manifesta-tion of long-suffering and patience.Keep working, be discreet, be discern-ing, understand when to speak andwhen to keep silence.Paul charged Timothy to "preach

the word," but there was yet anotherpa rt to be done,-"to reprove, rebuke,exhort with all long-suffering anddoctrine." This work cannot beneglected with safety. Ministers mustbe instant in season and out ofseason, watching for souls as theythat must give an account. They mustexercise great carefulness. Watch inall things, watch for the devices ofSatan, lest you be beguiled fromdoing the disagreeable part of thework. Difficulties must not in-timidate or discourage you. Having

well-balanced minds and establishedcharacters, meet the difficulties, andin overcoming them gain a rich exper-ience. Do the work of an evangelist,-water and cultivate the seed alreadysown. When a new church has beenraised up, it should not be left des-titute of help. The minister shoulddevelop the talent in the church, thatmeetings may be profitably kept up.Timothy was commanded to go fromchurch to church, as one who shoulddo this kind of work, and build upthe churches in the most holy faith.He was to do the work of an evange-list, and this is an even more impor-tant work than that of the ministers.He was to preach the word, but hewas not to be settled over one church.Be determined that you will not

shun the disagreeable part of thework, ana by unfaithfulness be apartner to the ruin of some humansoul. If we are Christia,ns indeed, we

shall have in us the spirit of Him whodied for the perishing. We shall lovethe erring and the sinner too well tofla tter him, and thus encourage himin his course oi wrongdoing. We mustwatch for souls as they that must givean account. We must be sure that wedisplay that love that is holy andsanctified, not that favor whichsavors of sentimentalism. There is anabundance of this counterfeit currentin the world; but it is not currentwith God. We must unfurl the bannerwhich the Eternal has given to us tobe displayed in the world. If we aretrue to God in minor matters, weshall have a holy boldness when weare called upon to make wise decis-ions, and shall be enabled to have aclose walk with God, and be laborerstogether with God. iii

Review and Herald, September 28, 1897

The Joy of Knowing Jesus

Darla MaydoleHave you ever awakened in the

morning, just before sunrise, andlooked out a window at the tree topswith the light shining through the·leaves? The still of the morning seemsto speak to you, filling your heartwith joy. Have you ever stopped to'think who it was that gave you thejoy of that moment?Psalm 16:11 says, "Thou wilt show

mc the path of life: in Thy presenceis fullness of joy; at Thy right handthere are pleasures for evermore."What a promise-to feel that joyforever, not just for the few fleetingminutes of a sunrise.

We need to pause and realize thatwe are in the presence of God. Hesends His angels to guard us, and theysec His face. If we would stop tothink of these things more, we wouldnot want to sleep as do others, butwatch and be ready to fulfill Hiscommands, to be God's obedient sonsand daughters. As humans we cravehappiness, love, and security, butobedience is the key to all true joy.

We must take time to turn fromour busy, worldly lives, and look back

two thousand years to the life ofJcsus. Jesus, our Lord, who lived andsuffered and died, but now livesagain-and still loves us.He wants to give us joy, security,

and so much more. The wants of oursoul only Christ can satisfy."Christwas treated as we deserve, that wemight be treated as He deserves. Hewas condemned for our sins, in whichHe had no share, that we might bejustified by His righteousness, inwhich we had no share. He sufferedthe death which was ours, that wemight receive the life which wasHis." The Desire 0/ Ages, 25Oh, look to Jesus! He loves you. He

dicd for yOll. It's easy to say thatJesus died for the world, but we needto know that He died for "me," theone weak, sinful human being that Iam. He loves each one of us. He wantsus to surrender our will to Him eachday, for this is the first step to find-ing complete joy. Once we make thatdecision to become i child 'orGod by'fully surrendering our will to His, weare protected by His righteous law.Then we can know Him as our dear

Companion. "In our knowledge ofChrist and His love the kingdom ofGod is placed in the midst of us."(Christ's Object Lessons, 317) We be-come an ambassador of Christ andour home becomes the embassy ofhea ven, no longer a part of this earth."Put on the whole armour of God,

that ye may be able to stand againstall the wiles of the devil. For wewrestle not against flesh and blood,but against principalities, againstpowers, against the rulers of thedarkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in high places."(Ephesians 6:11, 12) By daily puttingon His armour, we will have victory.As we daily learn of Jesus, He willchange us to be like Him.We will find freedom in Him, for

the law of God is the law of liberty."Our spirit and will may become soidentified with His spirit and willthat in thought and aim we shall beone with Him." (aliI' High Calling,219) Perfect joy comes at last fromperfect surrender. Iii!i

June, 1986 Our Firm Fowrdlll;OIl 15

Jr to ilia0 hieJra[t\on §pl'ur

The message to Laodicea is God'slast message to His remnant church,yet we as a people-from leadershipon down to laity-have never under-stood this message. It is an urgentmessage from heaven to stir thechurch to revival and reformation. Itis a message to open our blind eyes tosee our wretchedness, our spiritualpoverty. Laodicea has lost herspiritual discernment and is so muchlike the world in her institutions, herbusiness transactions, her eating, herdress, and her deportment that the. world now accepts her as one withthem. This new-found acceptance,and plain old-fashioned materialism,have so captivated our thinking thatwe feel increased in goods and inneed of nothing. We either do not feela need for a close relationship withJesus, or we flatter ourselves that wehave found a relationship with Christthat caters to our sins.Yet the truth is that the Laodicean

condition is a lost condition. The im-pact of this know-not experience wasalready being felt in the remnantchurch in 1852. We read the inspiredwords of the prophet:"As I have of late looked around

to find the humble followers of themeek and lowly Jesus, my mind hasbeen much ·exercised. Many whoprofess to be looking for the speedycoming of Christ are becoming con-

16 0111' Firn! FOllndntioll June, 1986

formed to this world and scek moreearnestly the applause of thosearound them than the approbation ofGod. They are cold and formal, likethe nominal churches from whichthey but a short time since separated.The words addressed to the Laodiceanchurch describe their present condi-tion perfectly." Early Writings, 107This devastating condition has

kcpt the church from fulfilling itsgospel commission. We could havefinished the work soon after 1844 ifwe had accepted the third angels'messagc (the Laodicean message) byexperience, which is victory overevery sin by the power of the HolySpirit. See Testimonies, vol. 6, 450;Selectea Messages, vol. 1, 08;Testimonies, vol. I, 144; Education,257; Acts of the Apostles, 531, 532,564-567The Laodieean message that should

have brought the church to its kneespraying and pleading for repentancehas failed from 1852 to this day.Why? Because of the "hardness of ourhearts," because "we failed to see thepowerful work accomplished in ashort time," beca use of "somecherished idoL" We are refusing to letGod purify us from "our selfishness,our pride, and evil passions." Insteadwe are "leaning on a false hope" tha tour profession will save us. "Ourpride, our love to follow the fashions

of the world, our vain and emptyconversa tion, our selfishness," EllenWhite warned, are "against us." SeeTestimonies, vol. 1, 186-190

Aimlessly Drifting

By our rejection of the Laodiceanmessage we have been in a wildernessexperience, just as Israel was in thedays of Moses and Joshua. Just asthey wandered aimlessly about in thewilderness during the time of theirpartial rejection while they were un-der the divine rebuke, so modern Is-rael are said to be "drifting" asthough they were "without chart orcompass.""The solemn question should come

home to every member of ourchurches, How are we standing beforeGod, as the professed followers ofJesus Christ? ... Spiritual death hascome upon the people who should bemanifesting life and zeal, purity andconsecration, by the most earnestdevotion to the cause of truth. Thefacts concerning the real condition ofthe professed people of God, speakmore loudly than their profession,and make it evident that some powerhas cu t the cable tha t a nchored themto the Eternal Rock, and that they aredrifting away to sea, without chart or'compass." Rel'iew and Herald, July 24,1888

God speaks to us concerning ourapostasy:"As many as I love, I rebuke and

chasten: be zealous therefore, andrepen t." Revela tion 3: 19"As many as I love I rebuke and

chasten" indicates that the Laodieeanchurch is under the divine rebuke be-cause of her spiritual state. TheLaodieean message is a divine rebuke;it is evidence of a partial rejection orsepara tion. The union between Christand the church is not complete, as isevident from the fact that He is out-side the door knocking and pleadingto be invited in. He is not in the in-nermost sanctuary of the hearts ofHis people, and He does not have fullpossession of His church-temple."Since the time of the Minneapolis

meeting I have seen the state of theLaodieean church as never before. Ihave heard the rebuke of God spokento those who feel so well satisfied,who know not their spiritual desti-tution.... Like the Jews, many haveclosed their eyes lest they should see:but there is as great peril now, inclosing the eyes to light, and in walk-ing apart from Christ, feeling need ofnothing, as there was when He wasupon earth." Review and Herald,August 26,1890The Laodicean message is here

called "the rebuke of God," andLaodieeans are said to be "walkingapart from Christ.""The rebuke of God is upon us be-

cause of our neglect of solemnresponsibilities. His blessings havebeen withdrawn because the tes-timonies He has given have not beenheeded by those who profess tobelieve them. Oh, for a religiousa \Va kening! The angels of God aregoing from church to church, doingtheir duty; and Christ is knocking atthe door of your hearts for entrance.But the means that God has devisedto awaken the church to a sense oftheir spiritual destitution, have notbeen regarded. The voice of the TrueWitness has been heard in reproof,but has not been obeyed. Men havechosen to follow their own way, in-stead of God's way, because self wasnot crucified in them. Thus the lighthas had but little effect upon theirminds and hearts.... If you wait forlight to come in a way that willplease everyone, you will wait invain. If you wait for louder calls orbetter opportunities, the light will bewithdrawn, and you will be left indarkness." Testimonies, vol. 5, 719, 720

We must now give this importantmessage to our people. The hour isvery late. Ellen White depicts theconditions of our day and then saysonly a moment of time yet remains."We are 'standi'ng--upon the

threshold of great and solemn events.Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange,eventful history is being recorded inthe books of heaven. Everything inour world is in agitation. There arewars and rumors of wars. The nationsare angry, and the time of the deadhas come, that they should be judged.Events are changing to bring aboutthe day of God, which hastethgreatly. Only a moment of time, as itwere, yet remains. But while alreadynation is rising against nation, andkingdom against kingdom, there isnot now a general engagement. As yetthe four winds are held until the ser-vants of God shall be sealed in theirforeheads. Then the powers of earthwill marshal their forces for the lastgreat battle." Testimonies, vol. 6, 14

lIf Utr arr not nowwilling to br mubrwilling to 1'"omr into

1inr witlI tlIriCaobi1'"run mrzzagr,tlIr zraling ungr1willzoon pazz uz by,nrlJrr to rrturn

Our Only Hope

"My brethren, you are disregard-ing the most sacred elaims of God byyour neglect to consecra tc yoursel vesand your children to Him. Many ofyou are reposing in false security, ab-sorbed in selfish interests, and at-tracted by earthly treasures. You fearno evil. Danger seems a great wayoff. You will be deceived, deluded, toyour eternal ruin unless you arouseand with penitence and deep humilia-tion return unto the Lord."Again and again has the voice

from heaven addressed you. Will youobey this voice? Will you heed thecounsel of the True Witness to seekthe gold tried in the fire, the whiteraiment, and the eyesalve? The gold isfaith and love, the white raiment isthe righteousness of Christ, theeyesalve is that spiritual discernmentwhich will enable you to see the wilesof Satan and shun them, to detect sinand abhor it, to see truth and obey it."The deadly lethargy of the world

is paralyzing your senses. Sin no

longer appears repulsive because youare blinded by Satan. The judgmentsof God are soon to be poured outupon the earth. 'Escape for thy life' isthe warning from the angels of God.Other voices are heard saying: 'Donot become excited; there is no' causefor special alarm.' Those who are atease in Zion cry 'Peace and safety,'while heaven declares that swiftdestruction is a bou t to come upon thetransgressor." Testimonies, vol. 5, 233To apply the eyesalve so that we

can see our wretchedness now in thiscrisis hour, to accept our presentblindness, and repent is our onlyhope. We are told "few" Seventh-dayAdventists will endure to the end andbe saved. What a tragedy! See Testi-monies, vol. 5, 10, 50, 136; Testimonies,vol. 8, 41; Testimonies, vol. 1,608,609May God help us to bring life back

to our churches soon. Yes, now.

A Cure for Laodicea

God tells us how reformation canbe a reality now:"To my ministering brethren I

would say, Prosecute this work withtact and ability. Set to work theyoung men and the young women inour churches. Combine the medicalmissionary work with the proclama-tion of the third angels' message.Make regular, organized efforts tolift the churches out of the dead levelinto which they have fallen, and haveremained for years. Send into thechurch workers who will set the prin-ciples of health reform in their con-nection with the third angels' message. .before every family and individual.Encourage all to take a part in workfor their fellow men, and see if thebreath of life will not quickly return.to these churches. Welfare Ministry,124In the ligh t of the inspired sta te-

ments in this chapter, we all-leaders,pastors, and laity-must now make adecision. If we are not now willing tobe made willing to come into linewith the Laodieean message, intoobedience to all truth, and by thepower of God live the truth, to havevictory over every sin, the sealing an-gel will soon pass us by never toreturn, and we will be lost foreternity. May God help us to makethe preparation today and every day,moment by moment, practicing thepresence of Jcsus in our lives. Thenfull assurance is ours. Salvation ispromised to those who overcome."He that overcometh, the same

shall be clothed in white raiment; andI will not blot out his name out of thebook of life, but I will confess hisname before My Father, and beforeHis angels." Revelation 3:5 II

June, 1986 O"r Firm FOIlt/dolioll 17

Importanceof Trust

In God"And Asa cried unto the Lord his

God, and said, LORD, it is nothingwith Thee to help, whether withmany, or with them that have nopower: help us, 0 LORD our God; forwe rest on Thee, and in Thy name wego against this multitude. 0 LORD,Thou art our God; let not man prevailagainst Thee. So the LORD smote theEthiopians before Asa, and beforeJudah; and the Ethiopians fled. AndAsa and the people that were withhim pursued them unto Gerar: andthe Ethiopians were overthrown, thatthey could not recover themselves; forthey were destroyed before the LORD,and before His host; and they carriedaway very much spoil. 2 Chronicles14:11-13Here is brought before us the fact

that when ancient Israel trusted inthe Lord their God He alwayswrought for them. Here was a largearmy; thousands and thousands werebrought up against them, and itlooked to them that with their smallarmy they would certainly be over-come. But here we see that Asa's trustwas in the Lord God of Israel. It wasnot in their number, but he believedthat the Lord could deliver them byfew as well as by many. He reachedout for God, and his faith took hold

18 0111' Firm FOItIldntioll June, 1986

upon the Lord, and the Lord gra-ciously heard and answered the peti-tion of Asa; and they obtained thevictory because God was wholly ontheir side.This was, indeed, a test and trial to

the faith of those who served theLord of the armies of Israel. Theyhad fears that sin might be socherished in their midst that Godcould not do wonderful things intheir behalf. It was a vast numberthat they had to meet, a thousandthousand men. But Asa had not beengiving himself to amusement andpleasure; in time of peace he hadbeen preparing for any emergency; hehad an army trained for conflict; buthow few were their numbers whencompared with their enemies! Did thisappearance weaken their faith? Did it·discourage effort?-No; faith in-creased and strengthened for theoccasion-not in self-confidence, butin the only One in whom they couldtrust. The prayers of Asa were notoffered in vain. He had sought theLord in the days of his prosperity,and now he could rely upon Him indays of adversity. He showed by his

Ellen G. White

petitions that he was not a stranger tothe Lord's wonderful power. "It isnothing with Thee to help, whetherwith many, or with them that have nopower: Help us, 0 Lord our God, forwe rest on Thee, and in Thy name wego against this multitude. 0 Lord,Thou art God; let not man prevailagainst Thee." [2 Chronicles 14:11]This is an appropriate prayer for

us to make. Our prospects are any-thing but flattering. There are vastnumbers arrayed against the truth,whom we must meet in presenting thelight to others. Our hope is not in ourknowledge of the truth, and in ourown ability, but in the living God.And if, like king Asa, we have edu-cated ourselves, and educated andtrained others, to be familiar with thetruth, who wear the armor of right-eousness, ready to meet the enemiesof God and the truth, we have doneour part of the work in the way ofpreparation; and then the living faithin God must be exercised to workwith the efforts of the workers. God'sglory is at stake. And there should bedecided effort as far as human effortis concerned, and living faith for themighty God to manifest His power,else all will prove a failure. Goddefeated the enemies of Israel. He put

their forces into disorder. They fledthey knew not whither. Who canstand before the Lord God of Israel?Now we are not warring against

flesh and blood, but against prin-cipalities and powers and spiritualwickedness in high places. The Lordwould encourage us to look to Him asthe source of all our strength, the Onewho is able to help us. We may look tomen, and they will give us counsel,and yet this may be defeated; butwhen the God of Israel undertakeswork for us, He will make it asuccess. We want to know that we areright before God; if we are not rightbefore Him, then we want to make anearnest effort to come in right rela-tion to Him. We must set everythingright: we must follow out the require-ments of God, and then expect God towork with our efforts. (2 Chron.20:15) God works in us by the light ofHis truth. We are to be obedient to allHis commandments.Oh that we could take this point

into consideration, that the work inwhich we are engaged is not our workbut God's work, and we as humble in-struments are laborers together withHim; and with an eye single to God'sglory, not mistake the beginning ofthe Christian life for its consum-mation, but see the necessity of train-ing upon the earth to prepare us fordoing God's will! We are not to lift upoursel ves, not to be self-confiden t,but to trust in God, knowing that Heis willing and able to help us. Godwill work with His people, but wewant to be in that position where ourtrust and confidence will becomefirm in Him.

We should examIneour own hearts, andsee that everythingthat is not inaccordance withGod's will is

separated from us

I wanted to bring these thingsbefore you, that you might see theimportance of our coming into work-ing order individually. We should ex-amine our own hearts, and see thateverything that is not in accordancewith God's will is separated from us.There is with human nature one greatdifficulty: where the individual isnot connecte.d with God in anywise,the natural disposition reveals itself.

You will find manydifficulties in yourway, which you mustmeet and overcome inthe name of Jesus

Now, if Satan can crowd selfishnessin among those connected with thisprecious work of God, if they becomeself-righteous, independent of theirbrethren, independent of God, weneed not expect that the blessing ofGod will attend our work; but if ourhearts are pure, and uncorrupted withselfishness, we shall present the truthas it is in Jesus; and then we willhave the blessing of the Lord.There is constant danger of drop-

ping Jesus out of your la bor; bu twhen the truth is presented in meek-ness and grace as it is in Jesus, it isthen you reveal Jesus Christ in everyeffort you make, and as you seek toapproach souls you are revealingChrist to all those with whom you arebrought in contact. If you are restingupon the loving Saviour as your onlyhope, if self is hid with Christ inGod, God will be with you, and youwill be with Him. You will feel andknow the power of true religion; yourinfluence will be used wholly forGod's glory; you will not ha ve a highestimate. <;>f yourselves. The path isnarrow that leads to eternal life. Youwill find many difficulties in yourway, which you must meet and over-come in the name of Jesus. What dis-couragements the disciples met whenthey saw Him in whom their hopeswere centered mocked in the judg-ment hall, scourged, and suffering themost shameful death by crucifixion!And what triumph on the part ofSatan as he bruised His heel whenJesus was nailed to the cross, amidthe revilings of evil men who claimedthe highest piety! After He had beenenelosed in the tomb, His enemies ex:pected to see the disciples dis-couraged, ashamed, and deny, as didPeter, all knowledge of Him. Butwhen these disciples went forth infaith, in holy boldness preaching arisen Saviour, their enemies marveled;for they did not present Jesus but asa Prince of life, risen from the dead,ascended into the hea vens to make in-tercession for His followers, whentheir enemies and others took knowl-edge of them that they had been with

Jesus. Thus should it be with be-lievers of the tru thoHere, then, is the power that the

people of God are to have, and whichwill give them the victory in theselast days. Every ism is existing. Everykind of false doctrine is prevailingeverywhere, and the truth of Godthat is preached now involves a cross.But the truth must go to all cities andvillages, into the highways andhedges. The apostle exhorts believersto "fight the good fight of faith,"and "run with patience the race thatis set before us, looking unto Jesusthe Author and Finisher of ourfaith." [Hebrews 12:1,2] Men are al-ways trying to make an easier way tohea ven than that which the Lord hascommanded. But we can see that therewere conditions that the children ofIsrael were to comply with on theirpart. They were to seek the Lord, thechildren with the parents. This is thevery work we are to do. There is notone half the seeking of the Lord thereshould be with us. We know not how

What we want at thepresent time is toexamIne our ownhearts

soon our cases may come up in theJudgment, and in our present condi-tion many will be disowned of Jesus.We are too apt to let the little cares ofthis life take our attention, and assoon as we do this we are bereft ofour strength.What we want at the present time

is to examine our own hearts, to dis-cover if there is anything in themthat is not right before God. If weteach the truth according to our ownways, we shall see tha t there will notalways be perfect harmony as thereshould be. But if we teach the truthas it is in Jesus, we shall teach it inthe spirit of the true Educator; andwe will not have various opinions,and cling to our own ideas withtenacity, but we will see eye to eye.And while we thus teach, believingthat Jesus will help us to present thetruth as it is in Him, then we mayexpect His help, and we will have it.We have not today a Saviour enclosedin Joseph's new tomb, but we have arisen Saviour, One who stands in thepresence of God for us, whose gloryovershadows the mercy seat, under

Continued on 26

June, 1986 Our Firm FOllndation 19

NeedGreatest

who claim to be Christians would be-have like Christians. How much bet-ter it would be if all would ceasespeaking of their own good worksand ways, indulging their self-esteem;refrain from the putting forth of thefinger, imagining evil, and usingtheir influence to weaken, oppress,and destroy. If men will not come toterms made by the leading workers,they will not entertain them, they donot care what results may followtheir injustice. With them it is rule orruin. God has not appointed any manto do such work. And no human beingshall be permitted to proscribe myliberty or intrench upon the perfectfreedom of my brethren, withouthearing my voice lifted in protestagainst it.God will move upon men of

humble position in society, men whoha ve not become insensible to thebright rays of light through so longcontemplating the light of truth, andrefusing to make any improvement oradvancement therein. Many such willbe seen hurrying hither and thither,constrained by the Spirit of God tobring the light to others. The truth,the Word of God, is as a fire in theirbones, filling them with a burningdesire to enlighten those who sit indarkness. Many, even among theuneducated, now proclaim the wordsof the Lord. Children are impelled bythe Spirit to go forth and declare themessage from Heaven. The Spirit ispoured out upon all who will yield toits promptings, and, casting off allman's machinery, his binding rulesand cautious methods, they willdeclare the truth with the might ofthe Spirit's power. Multitudes willreceive the faith and join the armiesof the Lord.The seven last plagues are about to

descend upon the disobedient. Manyhave let the gospel invitation gounheeded; they have been tested andtried; but mountainous obstacles haveseemed to loom up before their faces,blocking their onward march.Through faith, perseverance, andcourage, many will surmount theseobstructions and walk out into theglorious light. Almost unconsciouslybarriers have been erected in thestrait and narrow way; stones ofstumbling have been placed in thepath; these will all be rolled away.The safeguards which false shepherdshave thrown around their flocks willbecome as naught; thousands will stepout into the light, and work to spreadthe light. Heavenly intelligences willcombine with the human agencies.

tiiiiiiiii

Wllite

He wishes to use certain ones as Hisagents for the promulgation of truth.But He will use whom He will use. Hewill pass by men who have not fol-lowed His counsel, men who feelcapable and sufficient to work intheir own wisdom; and He will useother who are thought by these sup-posedly wise ones to be whollyincompetent. Many who have sometalent think that they are necessary tothe cause of God. Let them bewarelest they stretch themselves beyondtheir measure, and the Lord shalllea ve them to their own ways, to befilled with their own doings. Noneare to exercise their human authorityto bind the minds and souls of theirfellowmen. They are not to deviseand put in practice methods andplans to bring every individual undertheir jurisdiction.Those who know the truth are to

be worked by the Holy Spirit, and notthemselves to try to work the Spirit.If the cords are drawn much tighter,if the rules are made much finer, ifmen continue to bind their fellowlaborers closer and closer to the com-mandments of men, many will bestirred by the Spirit of God to breakevery shackle, and assert their libertyin Christ Jesus. If men would acttoward their fellowmen as to thosewhom Christ loves, if they wouldobey the commandment to "love thyneighbor as thyself," there would besweet harmony among the brethren.How much better it would be if those

G.Ellel1

OurtiiiiiiiiiGod has not appointed any man

guide, nor made any man consciencefor another; therefore let humanhands be withheld from restrainingHis scrvants who feel the burden toenter His vineyard to labor. Let Godwork with His own chosen agents byHis Holy Spirit. No human being is tosit in judgment upon his brother.Neither are any to feel that they canhandle roughly the precious pearlsfor which Christ gave His life. Thepearl, the precious human pearl, wasfound by Christ. Let man be warned;be careful how you treat the Lord's"peculiar treasure." All discourtesy,all pain, all neglect, which these soulssuffer at your hands, is chargedagainst you as inflicted upon JesusChrist. They are not to be treated in alordly, commanding manner. Lawsand rules are being made a t the cen-ters of the work that will soon bebroken into atoms. Men are not todicta teo It is not for those in places ofauthority to employ all their powersto sustain some, while others are castdown, ignored, forsaken, and left toperish. But it is the duty of theleaders to lend a helping hand to allwho are in need. Let each work in theline which God may indicate to himby His Holy Spirit. The soul is ac-countable to God alone. Who can sayhow many avenues of light have beenclosed by arrangements which theLord has not advised or instituted?The Lord does not ask permission ofthose in responsible positions when

20 Our Firm FOltudation June, 1986

Thus encouraged, the church willindeed arise and shine, throwing allher sanctified energies into thecontest; thus the design of God isaccomplished; the lost pearls arerecovered. Prophets have discernedthis grand work afar off, and havecaught the inspiration of the hour,and traced the wonderful descriptionsof things yet to be.Our people have had great light;

and yet much of our ministerial forceis exhausted on the churches, inteaching those who should beteachers; enlightening those whoshould be "the light of the world";watering-those from whom shouldflow springs of living water; enrich-ing those who might be veritablemines of precious truth; repeating thegospel invitation to such as should besca ttered to the uttermost parts of theearth communicating the message ofHeaven to many who have not hadthe privileges which they have-enjoyed; feeding those who should beIn the byways-a-n-d- highw-ays herald--ing the invitation, "Come; for allthings are now ready." Come to thegospel feast; come to the supper ofthe Lamb; "for all things are nowready."

The past) present)and future arelinked together.We must learnlessons from theexperiences ofother ages

Now is -the time for earnest wres-tling with God. Our voices shouldjoin with the Saviour's in thatwonderful prayer: "Thy kingdomcome. Thy wiH be done in earth, as itis in heaven." Let the whole earth befilled with His glory. Many may ask,"Who is sufficient for these things?"The responsibility rests upon everyindividual. "Not that we are suffi-cient of ourselves to think anythingas of ourselves; but our sufficiency isof God."[2 Corinthians 3:5] Thescheme of salvation is not to be

worked out under the laws and rulesspeci fiect by men. There must be nofixed rules; our work is a progressivework, and there must be room left formethods to be improved upon. Butunder the guidance of the HolySpirit, unity must and will bepreserved.All the revelations of the past

bring added responsibilities upon theworkers in these last days. The past,present, and future are linkedtogether. We must learn lessons fromthe experiences of other ages. If thereare any of our brethren who thinkthat they have devised plans bywhich they can secure a monopoly ofany line of God's work, they arereleased from all such burdens. In-dividually we form a part of thegreat whole, fulfilling our part in thescenes· foreseen long ages ago. In thecounsels of God a place was assignedto every person, and each one is todevote his entire ability, his in-fluence, the energy of his wholebeing, in an earnest endeavor to dis-charge the responsibility laid uponhim. It is the duty of every human in-telligence to put into daily practicethe instructions of Christ in theseventeenth chapter of John by livinga practical, Christian life. We are tobe united to one another in the bondsof Christlike love. This is the path.marked out for aiL By following in it,without boasting, without selfexaltation, we may satisfy the highclaims of God upon us. If any are in-clined to boast of their superiortalents, let them bear in mind thatthese talents are another's, only lentto them for a season, and that if theyare not employed in the Lord's work,they will be taken from them. Makeno boasts of your extensive know-ledge and influence. The great planof redemption connects every manwith his fellow laborer. The influenceof the past helps to mold the work ofthe present, and that in its turnenables us to lay hold of the workline after line, upon which we maycarryon the future work. All theseagencies have a close relation, notonly to time, but to the endless agesof the future, reaching into eternity.Let man now cease to trust in man.

While they should respect God's planfor unity of action, let all rememberthat the Holy Spirit is molding andfashioning the human agent in thedivine similitude. The life that is hidwith Christ in God is revealedthrough men. We are now living inthe closing scenes of this world's

history. Let men tremble with thesense of the responsibility of knowingthe truth. The ends of the world arecome. Proper consideration of thesethings will lead all to make an entireconsecration of all that they have andare to their God. There should be noboasting, no seeking for the highestplaces; but all should be ambitious todo with fidelity, with an eye single tothe glory of God, the sacred workwhich it is our exalted privilege toengage in. The eye should not be soconstantly looking to man, studyingthe plans which men devise; butrather seeking for a knowledge of theplans which are determined by theSource of all wisdom. Then there willbe no danger of having plans for thework contaminated by flowingthrough impure human channels.

The eye sllouldnot be so

constantly lookingto Tnan) studyingthe plans Wllichmen devise

Look to God; pray to God; wait andwatch and pray to God; work forGod. The weighty obligation of warn-ing a world of its coming doom isupon us. From every direction, farand near, calls are coming to us for'help. The church, devotedly conse-crated to the work, is "to carry themessage to the world: Come to thegospel feast; the supper is prepared,come. The weak must not now trust in!finite men if they would be as David,'and David as the angel of the Lord.If we have ever importuned God,wrestling for His blessing as didJacob, let it be now. God calls to thechurch to arise and clothe herselfwith the garments of Christ'srighteousness. Crowns, immortalcrowns, are to be won. The kingdomof heaven is to be gained. A world,perishing in sin, is to be enlightened.The lost pearl is to be found. The lostsheep is to be brought back in safetyto the fold. Who will join in thesearch? Who will bear the light tothose who are wandering in the dark-ness of error? iiiReview alld Herald, July 23, 1895Part two, of a two part series.

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundalio/l 21

gducatiohl.

uUehltaQ

As early as 1974 it was reportedtha tat least 1.4 million children inthe United States under the age of 1&had emotional problems of sufficientseverity to warrant urgent attention,and tha t as many as ten million morerequired psychiatric help of somekind if they were ever to achieve thepotential that medical progress onother fronts had made possible. Somenow suggest a figure as high as 30million, an inordinately large segmentof the under-I& population of theUnited States. This figure is notlimited to mild neurotic conditions,but also includes deep psychologicalproblems such as autism, schizo-phrenia, and hyperkinesia. As onepsychia trist quoted in the article says,"The fortunate child is the one withgood heredity and adequate careprovided by two parents who are ableto recognize and meet the child'sneeds in early life, and a minimum ofchronic overwhelming stress situa-tions as the child grows up.""Troubled Children, the Quest ForHelp," Newsweek, April &, 1974Unfortunately, fewer children

today have the privilege of a two-parent home, nor do they have an en-vironment which is devoid of stress-ful situations. It was further pointed

22 Our Firm FOl/ndation June, 1986

out that today's mobile socicty hasalmost abolished the extended familyconcept in which aunts, uncles,grandparents, and other relativesform a further fabric of support forthe growing child. Thus the ChristianChurch, if properly organized, andalert, must become part of the ex-tended family to the children of itsmembers, and in this sense adultsshould consider themsel ves thefathers and mothers of all thechildren of the church.One psychiatrist quoted in the

report indicated that he did notbelieve that two parents, let aloneone, could rear a child entirely alone,and therefore church support iscritical. We face the situation wheremany young children do not have theprivilege of a mother constantly with'them during the day. The complexityof society, together with the drive formodern conveniences, frequentlymeans that both parents work. Wewould certainly agree with Dr. Salk'sopinion, "I'd rather see people nothave children at all than leave in-fants in a day-care center."There would be no question that.

under almost all circumstances themother is the best able to care for herchild in the early formative years,

and this God-given responsibilityshould only under the most pressingcircumstances be placed in the handsof someone else. It is far better tohave fewer of the so-called comfortsof life than for a child to be withouthis mother for long periods of theday.The survey incorporated into the

report went on to pinpoint as one ofthe great causes of mental breakdownin children the devastating influenceof television. "In today's push-buttonsociety children tend to learn aboutthe world around them vicariously bytelevision. Many of our children andyoung people have been everywhereby ear and eye and almost nowhere inthe realities of their self-initiatedexperience. Much of what the chil-dren see is a vivid depiction of war,violence and social upheaval. Aggres-sion has become one of the most per-vasive childhood experiences of all.Children learn of abnormal behaviorby observing other people." (ibid.) Itis now accepted tha t television isplaying a primary role in the estab-lishment of the value system ofsociety and is significantly affectingattitudes and morals. That the televi-sion is depicting much which is incontradistinction to biblical morality

is a sober warning to parents whoha ve the moral and spiritual well-being of their children at heart. Evenadvertising and news bulletins oftenemphasize that which is immoral ordistasteful.It is ironic to look back a hundred

or so years ago and see that thephilosophers and educators of the ageoften pointed to universal educationas the solution to the social ills of theworld, claiming tha t if we could ha veuniversal education we'd be able toclose most of our prisons, psychia tricwards, and poorhouses. The thrust foruniversal education gained great im-petus in the United States and indeedin many other parts of the world.However, in the latter part of thetwentieth century we are much wiserthan to believe this theory. Indeed,we have increased our problems in allthree areas. We ha ve to look for wa ysof improving the situation.Where does mental health begin?

Well, it begins before the initiation ofa new life into the world. Of coursethe health of the child begins withthe parcnts. A well-adjusted familyenvironment is perhaps the greatestlegacy the parents can give to their'children in developing sound andsecure mental health. Thus, respon-sible parenthood requires that parentshave a secure and well-adjusted life-style before initiating a new lifewithin the family. This fact is fun-damental if parents are not to com-'mence the prenate's life with thatwhich will predispose him to a faultycharacter.

Emotional outburstsby the mother canlead to emotionalbehavior patterns Inprenatal life

The responsibility of the mother isparticularly important. In the forma-tive prenatal months it is essentialthat the mother follow a simple life-style not given to frequent bursts ofemotionality. There is abundant evi-dence of the profound influence ofthe earliest intrauterine experience ofthe child upon subsequent emotional,physical and personality character-istics. Strong emotionality leads tosympa thetic nervous system reaction,such as the secretion of adrenalin and

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 23

other substances into the bloodstream.Though the placenta is a good filter,it does not prevent these substancesfrom entering the bloodstream of thefetus, resulting in its hypcractivity.Frequent emotional outbursts by themother prior to birth can lead to emo-tional behavior patterns in prenatallife. These reactions militate againstthe development of sound mentalhealth.Often parents of highly emotional

infants wrongly conclude the cause isgenetic, overlooking the critical roleof the prenatal environment. Theparents who themselves are calm andhappy during the time of pregnancytend to predetermine to a marked ex-tent a similar temperament in thechild. The thoughts and feelings ofthe mother are important. If she isself-centered and easily hurt, thissensitiveness will inevitably affectthe disposition of the child.Christian parenthood is not acci-

dental. It is planned. This preparationinvolves economics and living condi'-tions, but above all it encompasses thespiritual life of the would-be parents.Only when they are in harmony withChrist will the Holy Spirit empowerthem and overshadow the unborn. Anexcellent example of this truth isgiven in the Scriptures in the lives ofZacharias and Elisabeth, the parentsof John the Baptist. "Elisabeth wasfilled with the Holy Ghost." (Luke1:4 I") .." A-li(f -hIsfather-zacharlaswasfilled with the Holy Ghost." (Luke1:67) It was no doubt because of thisinfilling that Gabriel could prophesy:"For he shall be great in the sight ofthe Lord and shall drink neither winenor strong drink; and he shall befilled with the Holy Ghost, even fromhis mother's womb." (Luke 1:15) Asyou can imagine, such an environ-ment not only is critical to spiritual'health, but also to emotional andphysical health.Sacred questions must be resolved

by husband and wife before a child isconceived. Unless they have forged adeep abiding relationship with eachother by their individual relationshipwith Jesus, they are yet unready tobecome parents of a child. It is ir-responsi bili ty to seek paren thoodwith the hope of rescuing a shakyand insecure marriage. There is noth-ing a little, inexperienced infant cando to secure the marriage, and mostlikely he will become the victim of,not the solution to, the insecurity ofthe parents. The situation will in alllikelihood lead to erratic managementof the child and to inconsistency inthe expression of both love and

discipline. Such behavior sets thestage for serious emotional and socialproblems in later life.

By far the mostimportant are thenine months beforebirth

It is my belief that parents haveabout 18 months to provide the basisfor the child's secure and balancedpersonality and temperament, and byfar the most important of these arethe 9 months before birth. The loveand security developed in the prena-tal environment include the calm andhappy disposition of the mother, thehealthful and balanced diet shechooses, the avoidance of the use ofdrugs, spices or other condiments, theloving relationship with her husband,the secure faith and trust in God, andthe regular taking of moderateexercise. Thus mothers are counseled,"Every woman about to become amother, whatever her surroundings,should encourage constantly a happy,cheerful, contented disposition, know-ing that for all her efforts in thisdirection she will be repaid tenfold inthe physical, as well as in the moral,character of her offspring. Nor isthis all. By habit she can accustoIJlherself to cheerful thinking, and thusencourage a happy state of mind andcast a cheerful reflection of her ownhappiness of spirit upon her familyand those with whom she associates."Mind, Character alld Personality, vol. I,131The achievement of such a prena-

tal environment is the responsibilityof the husband just as much as thatof the wife. His disposition, helpful-ness and loyalty are essential sharingprinciples in the new life being in-itiated into their family. The godlypartners will second the work of eachother in these precious months. Theyrecognize that as the deceptive furyof Satan is directed at the youth, onlythe finest dedicated Christian homecan counteract this influence.The clearest understanding of

God's love comes to the child, not somuch from the expression of love. tohim, important though this be, butfrom the expression of love he per-

ceives between his parents and oldermembers of his family. This is themodeling he is most likely to follow.Perhaps the principle of consistencyis of the utmost importance to thesecure development of the child. Thisprinciple includes consistency by eachparent in the management of the in-fant and consistency by both parentsin the child's education. While bothfacets of training presentchallenges, the latter is often the mostdifficult, for each parent tends toreflect his or her own upbringing,and often one has had a less-structured environment than theother. But it is of the utmost impor-tance that both parents work to-gether, for the security and salvationof the child is at stake. Each parentmust second the effort of the otherand attempt to resolve differences ofapproach in private.In an age where much controversy

exists concerning discipline, God hasnot left His people in doubt. No in-fant can be given a sound start in lifeunless he understands the parametersof successful living. Thus parents arecounseled, "Before the child is oldenough to reason, he must be taughtto obey. By gentle, persisten t effort,the habit should be established. Thusto a great degree may be preventedthose later conflicts between will andauthority that do so much to arousein the minds of the youth alicnationand bitterness toward parents andteachers, and too often resistance ofall authority, human and divine."(Counsels to Teachers, Ill) However,we are also taught that the child must

learn to approach discipline withreason. "The object of discipline isthe training of the child for self-government. He should be taught self-reliance and self-con trol. Thereforeas soon as he is capable ofunderstanding, his reason should beenlisted on the side of obedience."Education, 287

Protection of one'sself-image leads toemotionallydestructive feelings

Unfortunately, more and more wesee permissiveness as the basic prin-ciple in the world. Even the dictumsof the age-"Be yourself," "Ha vefun," "Do your own thing,"-mitigateagainst the development of a healthyemotional life.I believe the late British historian,

Arnold Toynbee, expressed it wellwhen he said, "Science has shown nosign that it's going to be able to cop.ewith man's most serious problems. Ithas not been able to do anything tocure man of his sinfulness and hissense of insecurity or to avert thepainfulness of failure and the dreadof death. Above all, it has not helpedhim to break out of the prison of his

inborn self-centeredness into com-munion or union with some realitythat is greater, more important, morevaluable and more lasting than theindividual himself." Quoted in KarlMenninger, What Ever Became of Sin?226Nothing will help a child more

than learning how to share. In doingso he learns the true essence of love,to reach out to others. Reaching out isthe basis of true happiness and men-tal heal tho It protects againstegocentricity and allows the in-dividual to escape from the emo-tionally destructive feelings relatedto the protection of one's self-image.The law of giving is the law ofHeaven. "For God so loved the worldthat He gave His only begotten Son."(John 3:16) Giving is the law ofunselfishness, a reaching out to otherswhich leads to true happiness andfulfillment in life. Egocentricity, ifallowed to be indulged, will lead tounhappiness because it was built upona "get philosophy" that is like a bot-tomless pit. There is no satiation to it.Within Christianity is bound up

the highest level of mental health.The final generation of Christianparents will have an all-consumingpassion, the representation of God'slove, by practical Christianity so thattheir children may choose from theperspective of God's authentic ways.More than anything else, the worldneeds a restoration of the true Chris-tian home. The proclamation of thegospel of Christ and the completionof the gospel commission will focustheir parental emphasis. II

BOOKSANDTAPESANDBOOKSANDTAPESANDBOOKSANDTAOur Firm Foundmion, 13 issuesUnited StatesCanadaOverseas (surface mail)Introductory IssuesEvangelistic Outreach Issue

Adventist Roundtable, 12 monthly tapes

Books, by Ron SpearThe Counterfeit and The GenuinePreparing for EternityThe Message to LaodiceaWaymarks of AdventismReaping the Whirlwind, by Joe Crews

Suggested donationUS $14.50

19.75 _24.50 _No charge·.50

32.00 ---

2.00 ---3.50 ---2.50 ---2.50 ---2.50 ---

TapesPreparing for Eternity, by Ron Spear (13 tapes) 26.00The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan,1884 Edition (12 tapes in a protective case) 29.95

The Media and Mind Control, by Dr. Vernon Shaferand Dr. Wynn Knowling. Music, TV, video games-How the devil uses technology to gain control ofthe mind. Based on the Spirit of Prophecy andmodern scientific research, this set is a mustfor every Christian home. (6 tapes) 12.00 _

Righteousness by Faith, by Dennis Priebe. A pene-trating analysis of the roots of doctrine.(5 tapes) 10.00

Total

-If you would like introductory issues to ahare with other churchmembers, please send U8 your request. Our goal i. to reach every Seventh-dayAdventist home in North America. You can help U8 meet this goal through yourpersonal and financial 8upport.

24 Our Firm Foundalion June, 1986

All suggested donations in US funds.Please add 10% for shipping and handling ($1.00 minimum).Make checks payable to Hope International.

The church. we are told. is still thechurch militant rather than the churchtriumphant. and when humanity gets in-\'o!l'ed. problems develop. The Adventistpioneers were no strangers to thisphenomenon. Elder John LoughborOllgh.the first historian of the AdventMovement, has left on record the follow-ing accolllltS.

There was a matter of difficultybetween some parties that had to beadjusted at the beginning of ourmeeting [held in November of 1858near Clinton, Massachusetts). Whilethis was going on, one zealous brotherfrom Connecticut arose, and said, "Ifyou would do as we do in Connecti-cut, you would never need to haveany church trials."Brother White inquired, "How do

you do down in Connecticut?""Well," said the brother, "when

anyone there does us a wrong, wejust go right on, and pay no attentionto it.""Well," said Brother White, "I do

not think the devil himself wouldhave any trouble with anybody, if alldid tha t way- just let him serve themas he has a mind to, and go right onand pay no attention to it, as thoughnothing had happened. But there isone command in the Gospel, which Iwish to read to the brother. It isfound in Luke, 'Take heed to your-selves: If thy brother trespass againstthee, rebuke him; and if he repent,forgive him. And if he trespassagainst thee seven times in a day, andseven times in a day turn again tothee, saying, I repent; thou shalt for-give him.' (Luke 17:3,4) What do youdo with that down in Connecticut?"The brother replied, "I do not

think we have noticed that text."Meanwhile the investigation went

on, and soon a fair understandingwas reached. The parties were inharmony, and the Connecticut manhad a practical illustration of a betterplan than what he had at firstproposed. Pacific Union Recorder,February 23, 1911On November 24, 1862, two meet-

ings were held at the same hour in

the house of William Wilson, ofGreenville. [Michigan.l for the Dur-pose of organizing two churches forthose who had accepted the Sabbathtruth in that vicinity. The meetingfor the Greenville Church was con-ducted by Elder White and his wifein one room, while Elder Byingtonand myself had charge of a meetingin another room for the West PlainsChurch. While we were engaged in thepreliminary work in one room, wecould hear the voice of Mrs. White asshe bore her testimony in the otherroom. We were meeting with somedifficulties in our work, when just atthe opportune time Mrs. White openedthe door, and said, "BrotherLoughborough, I see by looking overthis company that I have testimoniesfor some of the persons present. Whenyou are ready, I will come in andspeak." That being just the time weneeded help, she came in. Aside fromElder Byington and myself, she knewthe names of only three persons in theroom. The others were strangers,whom she had never seen, only asthey had been presented to her invision.As she arose to speak, she said:

"You will ha ve to excuse me in rela t-ing what I have to say, if I describeyour persons, as I do not know yournames. As I see your countenances,thcre comes before me what the Lordhas bcen pleased to show me concern-ing you. That man in the corner withone eye (some one spoke, saying, "Hisname is Pratt"), makes high profes-sions, and great pretensions toreligion, but he has never yet beenconverted. Do not take him into thechurch in his present condition, forhe is not a Christian. He spends muchof his time idling about the shops andstores, arguing the theory of thetruth, while his wife at home has tocut the firewood, and look after thegarden. He makes promises in hisbargains that he does not fulfill. Hisneighbors have no confidence in hisprofession of religion. It would bebetter for the cause of religion, forhim, in his present condition, to saynothing about it." She continued,

saying, "This aged brother (as shepointed to him, some one said,"Brother Barr") was shown me indirect contrast with the other man.He is very exemplary in his life,careful to keep all his promises, andprovides well for his family. Hehardly ventures to speak of the truthto his neighbors, for fear he will marthe work and do harm. He does notsee how the Lord can be so mercifulas to forgive his sins, and thinks him-self unfit even to belong to thechurch." She then said to him,"Brother Barr, the Lord bade me tosay to you that you have confessed allthe sins you knew of, and that Heforgave your sins long ago, if youwould only believe it." The look ofsadness depicted on the brother'scountenance quickly fled. He lookedup with a smile, and said, in hissimplicity, "Has He?" "Yes,"responded Mrs. White, "and I was toldto say to you, 'Corne along, and unitewith the church; and as you haveopportunity, speak a word in favor ofthe truth; it will have a good effect,as your neighbors have confidence inyou.''' He responded, "I will."Continuing, shc said, "If Mr. Prattcould, for a time, take a positionsimilar to that which Brother Barrhas been occupying, it would do himgood."Thus was one cause of our dif-

ficulty in organizing removed. Beforeher testimony was borne, we couldnot get Mr. Barr to consent to unite. with the church; while on the otherhand, we found about everyone wasopposed to receiving Mr. Pratt; stillno one felt free to tell why theyopposcd....After Mrs. White had borne her

tcstimony, the work of organizing thechurch was soon completed. Mr. Barrcame heartily into the organization,while Mr. Pratt was left out. The mo-ment the meeting closed, the lattersaid, with considerable vehemence, "Itell you what; there is no use tryingto go with this people and act thehypocrite; you can't do it." Rise andProgress of Seventh-day Adventists,248-250

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundotioll 25

We often think we are having a hard timeIn bearing burdens, and it is too often the case,because God has not made any provision for us

to carry these burdens

Trust in God, cont. from page 19

which is the law of God. And heremercy and truth have met together,and righteousness and peace havekissed each other. And while Christ ispleading in our behalf, there must bewith us a coming up to a higherstandard in the work.The true Witness' voice is heard,

saying, "Buy of Me gold tried in thefire, that thou mayest be rich; andwhite raiment, that thou mayest beclothed; ... and anoint thine eyeswith eye-salve, that thou mayest see."[Revelation 3:18] The gold hererecommended is faith and love, whichwe must have interwoven into ourlife and character. But if the worldhas a controlling power upon life andcharacter, they are losing the preciouslessons of Christ. If they will only letChrist teach them as He did thedisciples, He will take the simplethings of nature to teach them lessonswhich, if put in practice, will securefor them the enduring reward. Thereare many ways in which we canlearn, but we let opportunities andprecious privileges to receive greaterlight be lost, and still greater ideasare entertained contrary to the truthbecause mind and heart are notbrought into perfect harmony withGod's will. If we can put these thingsaway, and come right into the schoolof Christ, and learn of Him the pre-cious lessons He has for us, then we,shall grow in grace and in theknowledge of our Lord and Saviour'Jesus Christ. But how thankful weshould be that we have a Saviour, andthat we can come to God with all ourperversity of heart, and He will ac-cept us if we come in faith believing!He will impart to us of His divinenature, and we may bring our godli-ness into our everyday life, and im-itate the great Teacher in seeking towin souls. We must not seek our ownwill, but seek to serve God with thewhole heart.We are constantly endeavoring to

make a smooth path for our feet, andcalcula ting to have an easy time, andto shun labor; but then it is that wehave the very hardest time, and arethe most complaining. We hear manysay, All you have to do, is to believe,believe. But by the examples given us,we see there is hard work for some-body to do. We see that Israel had thepresence of God when they connectedthemselves with Him, but when theyforsook the Lord and followed afterother gods, they were overcome bytheir enemies. And we read howIsrael's God gave them the victoryover that great host. Because theirnumber was so great they thought tooverthrow Israel: but the prophetcame to them and said, "Hearkenye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants

26 Our Firm Foundatioll June, J986

'of Jerusalem, and thou KingJehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lordunto, you, Be not afrnid nor dismayedby reason of this great multitude; forthe battle is not yours, but God's." [2Chronicles 20: 15]Now, here is the very thing that

we want to understand, that it is notour work but God's work, and we areonly instruments in His hands to ac-complish it. We want to seek the Lordwith all our hearts, and the Lord willwork for us. But if we think that,right or wrong, success will attendour efforts, we will just as surely failas we live. What we want is to knowwe are fully on the side of God, andthat we have a living Saviour, andthat He is willing to work for us. Wemust not allow ourselves to cherishthe selfish spirit that I can do somuch better than my brother. Are you

not permeated with this spirit, anddoes it not greatly grieve the HolySpirit of God? For it is not [on ac-count of] you, but the Lord workingthrough you, that your labors are at-tended with any success. And howimportant it is that you present thetru th as it is in Jesus!Your work is not to ga ther up bur-

dens of your own. As you take theburdens that Christ would have you,then you can realize what burdens Hecarried. Let us study the Bible, andfind out what kind of yoke He bore.He was a help to those around him.He says: "Come unto Me, all ye thatlabor and are heavy-laden, and I willgive you rest. Take My yoke uponyou, and learn of Me; for I am meekand lowly in heart: and ye shall findrest unto your souls." [Matthew 11:28,29] You see there is a yoke to bear.Now this is the very fai th that wewant,-a faith that will grasp thepromises of God, one tha twill takethe yoke of Christ and bear the bur-dens that He would have us. We oftenthink we are having a hard time inbearing burdens, and it is too oftenthe case, because God has not madeany provision for us to carry theseburdens; but when we bear His yokeand carry His burdens, we can testifytha t the yoke of Christ is easy and

His burdens are light, because He hasmade provision for these. But whenyou feel depressed and discouraged,do not gi ve up the ba ttle; you ha ve aliving Saviour that will help you, andyou will have rest in Him. You mustnot put your neck under the yoke offashion, and yokes that God hasnever designed that you should bear.It is not our work to study how tomeet the world's standard, but thegreat question with each one shouldbe, How can I meet God's standard?Then it is that you will find rest tothe soul; for Christ has said, "Myyoke is easy, and My burden is light."[11:30]When you have a yoke that is gall-

ing to the neck, you may know it isnot Christ's yoke; for He says Hisyoke is easy. What God wants of us isto be learning every day of our lives

how to build our characters for timeand for eternity. He does not want usto get into one channel and neverturn out of that; to have fixed ideas,and hold them fast, whether they areright or wrong. He will place us amidtrials and difficulties, and when wehave learned to overcome obstacles ina right spirit, with high and holypurpose, He will give us anotherlesson. And if we have not the meek-ness of Christ to be constantly learn-ing of Jesus in His school, then wemust know that we have not the yokeof Christ.I am glad we have a risen Saviour,

that He bears with the frailties ofhumanity! We so easily become im-patient with one another! I think ofhow much Jesus has had to bear withus; our sins have grieved Him sooften; and how thankful we should beto learn how to labor and havepatience with one another! And whenwe see faults in our brethren, weshould go to them in the spirit ofmeekness, and tell them of theirfailings, and pray with them, andhave it all settled. Do you not thinkthat heavenly angels would look withpleasure upon such a meeting? Not aword should be spoken to hurt oneanother. What we want is the truth asit is in Jesus, laboring constantly to

There is no time for us to try to make a smoothpath for our feet. We must take it as it is, withall its inconveniences and troubles, knowing

that the God of Israel is by our side

bind together never to separate. Ifour little churches in Riseley andSouthampton have the truth as it is inJesus, they will send up their peti-tions to Jesus for overcoming grace.Do not think tha t you must overcomein your own strength, neither try tosave your own life. "Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it; butwhosoever shall lose his life for Mysake ... shall find it." [Mark 8:35]I am so glad that we have the truth

so straight and plain. Although dif-ficulties will present themselves, wehave a God sufficient for all diffi-culties. One says, You cannot laborhere as you la bor in America; so theysay in Sweden and in Norway; but Ilabor just the same in all these placesas in America. The same God thatga ve me my commission to reachhcarts in America, is giving me power

to reach hearts in this country. Ipresent Jesus to you as the one greatSaviour; and if there is any reasonwhy I cannot labor the same here asin America, it is because you haveanother mold than the mold of JesusChrist. But God wants you to haveHis mold. He wants us to bring our-selves in right relation with Him. Hewants us to have His meekness andlowliness. The very same God thatdelivered ancient Israel will work forus. God does not change. He has notone character for Denmark, anotherfor Sweden, and another for Norway,and still another for England, but Heis the same to all. God wants us tofulfill the conditions laid down inHis Word. He has not a school varyingfor the different nationalities, but Hehas one school for all.We found in Copenhagen that since

we were there last fall some hadembraced the truth. Among them wasa man who had opposed his wife forten years, and after hearing me speak,he arose and said, "I am glad I cameto Copenhagen. What we have heardhere to-day is wonderful." Then,after attending the Sabbath School hesaid, "I never saw anything like this.I am going home and tell my Baptistbrethren all about it." In the tes-timonies heard there, I could not see

that there was any difference in thegeneral tenor from those we hear inAmerica, and I can see no differencehere; and I have come to believe thatwe are learning in the same school,and have one Teacher. And we canpresent the truth to the people as it isin Jesus, and let God do the work forus. The same prayers that are ascend-ing to God in America, are ascendingto God here, that the God of Israelmay work in our behalf. And I be-seech of you not to become dis-couraged, although the powers ofSatan may be great, but look to Jesus.How little access Christ seemed to

have to the people! Many believed onHim, but dared not confess Him be-cause they were afraid of being putof the synagogue. Now, we see howChrist was treated by them, and shallwe treat Him in the same manner?

Think of Christ's coming down fromglory, leaving His Father's throne,and suffering as He did for us! Hecame to bring the cup of salvation tothose who were willing to drink it;but they struck it out of their hands.And when the people embrace thetruth under your labors, do not thinktha t it is you that have done thework, but remember that it is Jesusworking through you; and let Jesusput His Spirit upon them, and alsoupon you, that you may work with allthe ability that God has given you. Ifyou have a sharp, bright thought, it isnot you who created that thought, butGod. I never yet felt satisfied as Ihave stood before the people. I newerfelt that I had said anything that Ishould be lifted up over. But if I havesaid anything that has reached thehearts of the people, it has been be-cause God has worked through me.We must press the battle to the gate.There is no time for us to try to makea smooth path for our feet. We musttake it as it is, with all its incon-veniences and troubles, knowing thatthe God of Israel is by our side, andwe shall see of His salvation.My brethren and sisters, let us

remember here is the evidence thatGod will work. You are not to trust inany power but that of the Lord God

of Israel. But if you have enmity inyour hearts, you cannot expect thatGod will let His blessing rest uponyou. No one will enter the city ofGod with anything that defiles. Wemust get ready for the latter rain.The earth is to be lighted with theglory of the third angel,-not a littlecorner only, but the whole earth. Youmay think that the work you aredoing now is lost; but I tell you it isnot lost. When the message shall gowith a loud cry, those who hear thetruth now will spring to the front andwork with mighty power. ·But youmust have faith. It is no use to entercities unless you have faith in God,and believe that a work is to be ac-complished there. You must believethat it is Christ who is by your side,and is finding access to souls; andwhen you have done the best you can,you must believe, and commit it all toJesus.There is a company who will stand

upon Mount Zion, and we want youto be determined that you will beamong that company. You will havetrials here, bu t be determined tha tyou will have a home in the city ofGod. Says Paul, "Our light affliction,which is but for a moment, workethfor us a far more exceeding and eter-nal weight of glory; while we looknot at the things which are seen, butat the things which are not seen." Hecannot find words strong enough toexpress himself, and he says an"eternal weight of glory." Well, then,cannot we bear the roughness a little?Here is the eternal weight of glorywhile we look not at the things whichare seen, but at the things which arenot seen. Keep talking of Jesus, of thewidespread truth, of the life thatmeasures with the life of God. Why,the things which are seen aretemporal, but the things which areunseen are eternal. Then let us graspthe hand of infinite power. Here weare channels of light, and we shouldcommunicate this light to thosearound us.I feel so thankful every da y tha t

we have a Saviour, and I do not knowhow to dwell enough upon His good-ness. Let us remember tha t He borereproach for us; He was reviled, butreviled not again; He was mocked,and finally crucified, that we mighthave eternal life. In the greatest dif-ficulties have faith in God; believeyou have a mighty helper with you.He is the source of your strength. Butwe are not to try to bring everyoneinto our mold. May God help us towalk in all humility of mind beforeHim.

Review and Herald, May 10, 1887

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 27

by theersecution

Suppose, for example, after muchextensive deliberation, you've chosento eat and drink to the glory of God.Are you prepared to face insults bysome of your Seventh-day Adventistacquaintances not only over your re-fusal to eat meat, but also over yourrejection of soft drinks, coffee, andalcohol? And what about things likerefusing excess amounts of salt orsugar, or refusing to eat betweenmeals? In taking a firm stand on mat-ters of diet and health, you mightwell have to be prepared to face ver-bal brickbats like "extremist'" or"weirdo."What about matters relating to

yield to the powers that be, ratherthan subject themselves to derision,insult, threatened imprisionment, anddcn th." (Emphasis supplied)Evidently, then, large numbers of

Adventists will be gradually, and nodoubt unconsciously, lowering theirChristian behavioral standards andtastes prior to the Sunday-law crisis.This compromise will result in theseAdventists practicing an increasinglevel of accommodation and conform-ing to the world's attitudes, practices,and lifestyles, and finally acceptingthe Sunday law.And so with one group of Adven-

tists moving steadily toward theworld and destruction, and anothergrou p of Se ven th-da y Ad ven tistsmoving steadily toward Jesus andholiness, persecution within theSeventh-day Adventist Church will beinevitable. The conflict between thoseSeventh-day Adventists who are holyand those who are worldly will notlessen, but increase. And as a result,persecution will occur.Have you seen any examples of

persecution within the AdventistChurch recently? Oh, I don't meanbeatings, stabbings, or hangings. I'mtalking about something more re-strained and maybe more difficult tohandle.I mean one' Adventist verbally

harassing, insulting, and ridiculingand, yes, even ignoring and shunninganother, more conscientious Adventistover his or her adherence to Christianstandards in matters like diet, dress,entertainment, personal honesty, andeven Sabbath observance. If some-thing like this happened to you,would you be able to face it?

If you've chosen to makePhilippians 4:8 yourmeasuring standard,

beware

time just prior to the imposition of anational Sunday law. During this timeof upheaval, a shift of loyalties of alarge class of people within theSeventh-day Adventist Church takesplace."As the storm approaches, a large

class who have professed faith in thethird angel's message, but have notbeen sanctified through obedience tothe truth, a bandon their position, andjoin the ranks of the opposition. Byuniting with the world and partakingof its spirit, they have come to viewmatters in nearly the same light: andwhen the test is brought, they areprepared to choose the easy, popularside. Men of talent and pleasingaddress, who once rejoiced in thetruth, employ their powers to deceiveand mislead the souls. They becomethe most bitter enemies of theirformer brethren."Now what causes this shift from a

posi tion of one of support for thechurch to one of active opposition? Ithappens because this large class ofSeventh-day Adventists have chosento "!lnite with the world and parlakeof its spirit" so that when theSunday-law test happens "they areprepared to choose the easy, popularside." (Emphasis supplied)Note carefully that this shift is not

a sudden occurrence. Prophets andKings, 188, in referring to this sametime period, describes this process ofcompromise and its results a littlemore fully:"The observance of the false sab-

bath will be urged upon us. The con-test will be between the command-ments of God and the commandmentsof men. Those who have yielded stepby step to worldly demands, and con-formed to worldly customs, will then

Patrick Hogan

Persecution. Without a doubt oneof the most unpopular words in theChristian's vocabulary. It evokesimages of being burned at the stake,stretched on the rack, or facing astone-throwing mob.But Jesus Himself warned that

persecution would be an integral partof living the genuine Christian life.Hc spoke of this fact in John 15:20, asHe referred to how the world re-sponded to Him, "If they have per-secuted Me, they will also persecuteyou." In the Beatitudes He calledthose people blessed who are per-sccutcd because they live righteously,and told them of their heavenlyreward. See Matthew 5:10Christians in many countries

around the world today are activelypersecu ted. This persecu tion rangesfrom being unable to find well-paying jobs, to police harassment, toincarceration in labor and prisoncamps, and even death.Most Scventh-day Adventists are

saddened, but not really too surprisedover this prospect. The Bible says per-secution from the world will be withthe believers until the end of time,and indeed will continue to worsenuntil the final day.Likewise, opposition or even hos-

tility from other religious denomina-tions toward Adventists is not totallyunexpected either. Seventh-day Ad-ventists have been warned to expectpersecution from the religious worldover the Sabbath/Sunday issue.But what do you do when Adven-

tists start persecuting other Adven-tists? How do you meet thischallenge? Do you even believe such athing is possible?Mrs. White does. In The Great

Controversy, 608, she describes the

28 Our Firm Foundation June, 1986

entertainment? If you've chosen tomake Philippians 4:8 (whatever thingsare true, honest, just, pure, lovely)your measuring standard, beware. It'!quite possiblc you might be brandedby some Advcntists a "Puritan" or a"narrow-minded fanatic" for reject-ing romance novels, shallow TVprograms, sex and violence-filledmovies, and rock music. Furthermore,having discriminating tastes in ma t-ters of art, literature, and musiccould possibly result in being ignoredand shunned by many of your lessconscientious Adventist associates.This is not a light-hearted matter.Indeed, only those who have had toendure the trial can know how pain-ful it is.

We have far more tofear from within than

without

And how about adherence to theseventh commandment: "Thou shaltnot commit adultery"? If you'redetermined to live a morally purelife, you might have to meet labelslike "Puritan" or "Victorian" or"stuck up." You might not have asmany dates among your Adventistfriends as you might wish if yourefuse to "have a good time"-a pain-ful price which might be the cost ofconscien tious, Christian conduct.Of course there are other matters

which might make you unpopularwith many in the Adventist Church.Opposing an injustice in your localAdventist Church or even in the Ad-ventist denomination, or befriendinga Seventh-day Adventist who is con-sidered "different" or "strange" bythe majority, could conceivably resultin your having to face persecutionfrom within the church.Although persecution is not a

pleasant experience, there are some'defenses available to help make itbearable. First, make sure you're un-reservedly surrendered to the Lord. Itwill be hard to withstand persecutionif you're trying to keep one foot inheaven and one foot in the world. Ifyou're completely surrendered to God,you can claim with the Psalmist, "Heis my refuge and my fortress, myGod, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2,NIVSecond, "Pray continually." (I

Thessalonians 5:17, NIV) Don't con-fine prayer to once in the morning oronly before retiring at night. Take aprayer break of 15 or 20 minutes at

noon. Do the same at five or six,o'clock in the cvening. Pra y for graceto me'et' the persecution with a Christ-like spirit. Pray for strength to resistthe weakening before the abuse andharassment. Pray for deliverancefrom the persecutors or for a changeof circumstances, Pray about every-thing which concerns or upsets you.Pray even for your persecutors.Third, study your Bible for

strength to resist and overcomepersccution. Perhaps the followingverses will be of some help. "Castyour cares on the Lord and He willsustain you: He will never let therighteous fal!." (Psalm 55:22, NIV) "Iconsider that our present sufferingsare not worth comparing with theglory that will be revealed in us."(Romans 8:18, NIV) Get a topical'concordance and write down Scrip-ture verses under topics such aspersecution, affliction, trial, or tribu-lation which promise you grace andstrcngth to overcome persecution.Fourth, seek a close friendship

with an older, dedicated Christian.Ideally, this should be one or bothparents. It this is not possible, lookfor a relative, tcacher, church elder,or layman whose life reflects thefruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23)and who takes the Adventist Churchand its teachings seriously. Aconscientious, older Christian cangive spiritual counsel, love, and s'up-port to help you through the battles.Fifth, develop-a small support

group of conscientious, dedicatedAdventists who are determined tokeep their personal, ethical, and so-cial standards as high as possible. Tryto avoid constant association withthose Adventists who continuallyderide, mock, and ridicule AdventistChristian standards of diet, dress,entertainment, and righteousness. Thecounsel of Proverbs 4:14 which tellspeople not to walk with those of awicked mind will help you avoid asizable amount of persecution.Adventists persecuting other

Adventists. A sad, unpopular, andeven an excruciatingly painful sub-ject to confront. But it can't be justby accident that we are warned inSelected Messages, Book I, 122:"We have far more to fear from

within than without. The hindrancesto strength and success are far greaterfrom the church itself than from theworld."Unless a person is fortified by un-

reserved consecration to the Lord,much prayer, much Bible study, andthe support of dedicated AdventistChristians, it will be hard towithstand persecution from withinthe Seventh-day Adventist Church inthese closing hours of earth's history.l!iiiI

MelangeBob Vun Kannan

Subject: Nicotine Addiction

This month's column is dedicatedto providing a little more informationto those who might be consideringgiving up nicotine. All of the factsand the Quotations in this issue aretaken from Science News, vol. 129, 40-45."The leading cause of premature

death among adults in 1985 was notfamine [in Africa], or warfare, or theattacks of international terrorists; itwas cigarette smoking." "Almost one-fifth of all United States deaths can

I-: be traced to cigarette smoke.""Passive smoking (inhaling the

smoke of another's cigarette) has becnlinkcd to lung canccr in nonsmokingspouses of smokers in more than tenstudies.""Matcrnal smoking, the report

notcs, has been associated with in-creased rates of miscarriage and low-birthweight babies_ Parental smokingalso has been linked epidemiologi-cally to other hazards in children, in-cluding reduced lung capacity, higherrates of respiratory illness, cancerand slow intellectual development.""There are 350,000 smoking-

related deaths in the United Stateseach year-making the daily tollequivalent to that of four airplanecrashes the siz.e of the one on Decem-ber 12 at Gander, Newfoundland.""Nicotine... meets the technical

criteria of a n add ieti ve drug inlaboratory studies by affecting brainwave function."The report, on pages 44 and 45 of

this issue of Science NelVs, presentsreal laboratory proof that nicotine isan addictive drug. Perhaps the moststunning -piece of evidence was agraph showing the percentage ofsuccessful abstainers from groups ofpeople who voluntarily attempted towithdraw from alcohol, tobacco(smoking), and heroin. There is vir-tuaJly no difference between thecurves for heroin and nicotine, where-as the alcoholics demonstrated a con-siderably higher success rate. After-oneyear, the percentages of people ••who stayed off the drugs being testedwere alcohol, 35 per cent; heroin, 22per cent; nicotine, 22 per cent.The conclusion of the writer of the

article is that nicotine is just as ad-dictive as heroin. '.

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 29

Measurement, cont. from page 5

called faith.When we go into the waters of

baptism because we love our Lordand delight to do His will, this isfaith working by 10l'e, which Paulrecommended to the Galatians. Thesame principle would apply toSabbath-keeping, tithe-paying, or anyother part of God's revealed wil!.But we must be careful not to mis-

take the measurement for the force,or expect the measuring device totake the place of the force. Measure-ments have their proper place, butthey are not forces and cannot playthe role of forces.A wall thermometer can measure

the heat in a room, but it cannot heatthe room. A pressure gauge can mea-sure the air pressure in a brakingsystem, but it cannot stop the truck. A

volt-meter can measure the voltage ina receptacle, but it cannot operate anappliance. There is no use pluggingyour curler or shaver into a voltmeter.

Works of faith can measure faith,but works are not faith and cannot playthe role of faith. We are sal'ed by afaith that works by 10l'e. We are notsaved by works. Works are simply themeasurement of faith. Hence the testi-mony of James:"I will show thee my faith by my

works" (James 2:18) and "faith with-ou t works is dead." James 2: 17Why should we find this principle

-that faith is a force that can bemeasured only by works-hard to com-prehend? We apply the same principledaily in relation to other forces. Wedo not try to measure heat, light, or

electricity by establishing theirphysical dimensions. Neither do wetry to get along without measuringthem. And we would certainly noteven think of mistaking the measure-ment for the force, or of expecting itto pia y the role of the force.Let us fix our minds firmly on this

truth. Faith is a force, not an object.Therefore, it must be measured by itsworks, not by its dimensions. It isfaith that worketh by love that bringsus salvation. The measurement doesnot bring us salvation."Now genuine faith always works

by love. When you look to Calvary itis not to quiet your soul in the non-performance of duty ... but to createfaith in Jesus, faith that will work,purifying the sou!." Selected MessagesBook 2, 20 I

Food for Thought

My heart is drawn out for theyoung. The great work of overcomingis before them, and the greatest taskof all is to subdue self and obtainvictory over natural besetments, hastytemper, pride, and other sins.I ha ve seen professed Christians

act out their natural infirmities, lettheir evil temper get the victory overthem, and after the excitement haspassed, reflection and reason teachthem they have greatly erred. Theyexcuse themselves by saying, "It'snatural for me to be quick; it's mytemperament." With some, pride is abesetting sin that must be subdued,but their excuse is, "It's natural."I have heard the most covetous and

selfish, when reproved for these sins,urge the excuse, "It's natural. I wastaught to be so." 0, what an excusefor a Christian, "It's natural." "It'snatural" to give way to a passionatetemper. "II'S natural" to indulge inpride. "It's natural" to be covetousand selfish.Let me ask professed

30 Our Firm Foundation June, 1986

Christian, are you going into heavenwith -all these "natural" infirmitiesunsubdued? No, never! Heaven willnot be marred with the presence ofany with "natural" infirmities.Well, since these infirmities must

be overcome, what shall we do? Shallwe excuse ourselves by saying, "It'snatural," or shall we rather go aboutthe work earnestly to subdue self, andtake the steps necessary to be taken,to accomplish the object?

"It's natural" is the excuse thatcomes from a carnal heart. The axehas not been laid at the root of thetree. There has not been a thoroughacquaintance with the heart, andpoisonous weeds that choke everygood growth have been permi tted toflourish there. These evils must be. rooted out, these besetments over-come, or lose heaven.Look to the Rock that is higher

than you; plead with God in secretprayer for grace. All these "natural"infirmities can be overcome by grace.But the "natural," carnal heart is not

subject to the Law of God, neitherindeed can be. If the carnal mind issubdued, you will not hear sofrequently, "It's natural." Satan lovesto hear this. His angels rejoice thatyou have not grace sufficient to over-come "natural" infirmities. They tri-umph at these words,' "It's natural."But Jesus says, "My grace is suffi-cient for you." Yes, it is sufficient toovercome and subdue the "natural,"carnal heart.Watch and pray lest ye enter into

temptation. Earnest, fervent prayerwill avail much when tempted tospeak wrong. Say not a word untilyou first pray, then watch with allyour powers. Set a wa tch before thedoor of your lips. Jesus knows justhow hard you try to overcome, andHis all-sufficient grace will beimparted, and with holy trust, youmay rejoice in your Redeemer whogiveth you the victory.

Ellen G. White, "It's Natural," TheYouth's Instructor, November, 1857

BULLETIN BOARDCampmeeting Reservations and Ac-commodations

This summer's Hope InternationalCampmeeting promises to be a seasonof inspiration and fellowship. Be-cause of the much wider circulationof Our Firm Foundation, we anticipatea larger attendance this year thanlast. This is cause for rejoicing, but itdoes necessitate a good deal ofplanning. Please assist us in this bytaking careful note of the followingitems.If you plan to attend and wish to

stay on OUT grounds, you arc morethan welcome. We do ask, though, tha tyou please write or call to make areserva tion. We do not expect to see ashortage of room, but we do need tohave this information in order tomake the best use of our facilities.Water and rest rooms will be availableat a number of locations around thegrounds, but showers and hookups forwater, sewer, and electricity arebeyond our ability to provide. Pleaseplan on a real campmeeting.If you do not plan to stay on our

grounds, you need not make a reser-vation with us. You should, however,make reservations ahead of time if atall possible, since Vancouver's Expo86 is bringing more tourists to theNorthwest than normal during thesummer months. Unfortunately, one"disadvantage" of a rural location istha t hotels and the like are some dis-tance away. The following informa-tion may be of some assistance:Motel Puyallupu 25 miles north of

Hope International. Rates from $28 to$30 per night depending on the num-ber in the party, kitchen units

available. Call (206) 845-8825.Northwest Motor Inn--25 miles

north of Hope In terna tional. Ra tesfrom $29 to $35 per night dependingon the number in the party. Call (206)841-2600.La Grande Hotel and RV ParkulO

miles south of Hope International.Rates from $27 to $40, kitchen unitsavaila ble. (The hotel accommodationshere are adequate, but definitely not"fancy.") RV sites, $7 per night.Sewer dump station, but no sewerhookups available. Call (206) 832-6643.Camp Benbowu l0 miles north of

Hope International. Tents, $5 pernight; RV sites with full hookup, $7per night. Rates above for two people,additional persons extra. Call (206)879-5426.

Children's Meetings

We will endeavor to providelimited weekday meetings forchildren, in addition to a regularSabbath School. Any assistance withthis work which you may offer wouldbe very much appreciated. If youwould like to help, prepare a story oractivity in advance and offer yourservices to the children's co-ordinatorwhen you arrive. We are not planningon meetings for very young infants.

Directions to Hope International

From the South: Go north on 1-5 toexit 88; go east to Tenino, then followHwy. 702 for about 28 miles throughRainier, Yelm, McKenna and then toHwy. 7. Continue straight on theEatonville Cutoff Road to Hwy. 161.Turn right (south) on Hwy. 161, and

go 2 or 3 miles until you come to SkiPark Road. Turn left and go aboutone fourth mile; cross a creek andHope International will be on yourleft.

From the North: Go south on 1-5 toexit 154; then go cast on Hwy. 405 for2 miles, then south on Hwy. 167 forabout 20 miles. Take the Puyallup-Olympia exit onto Hwy. 512 for 2miles; then take the Eatonville-Mt.Rainier exit onto Hwy. 161 for about23 miles to Ski Park Road. Turn leftand follow directions above.

Also from the North, simplerdirections but more stoplights: Gosouth on 1-5 to exit 142, which isHwy. 18; go west to the firststoplight; turn left and go about 30miles through the city of Puyallup,and finally to Ski Park Road, onemile north of Eatonville. Follow thedirections above from then on.

From the East on 1-90, SnoqualmiePass: Go west on 1-90 to exit 25; gosouthwest on Hwy. 18 about 25 milesto Auburn. Then go south on Hwy.167 for 6 or 8 miles to Hwy. 512 andfollow the directions of From theNorth from then on.

From the East on Hwy. 12, WhitePass: Go west on Hwy. 12 to the townof Morton; turn right (north) on Hwy.7. Continue 25 miles on Hwy. 7 pastElbe and Alder. Turn right (north-west) onto Hwy. 161, and go 3 or 4miles; pass Eatonville to Ski ParkRoad, I mile north of town. Followdirections above.

Now In PrintThe Word Was Made Flesh

Elder Ralph Larson's historical study of Adventist teaching onthe subject of the incarnation from 1852 to 1952 will provide

clear answers to some of Adventism's most perplexing questions.

Available now from Hope International$1195

June, 1986 Our Firm Foundation 31

HopePlan Now To Attend The 1986

International CampmeetingJuly 23-·27) Eatonville) vVasllington

For information concerningreservations and accommodations

see page 31

Join us for fellowshipand study

Pastor Ron Spear, editor of OurFirm Foundation.

Pastor John Osborne, founder andspeaker on the Prophecy Countdowntelevision broadcast.

Elder Ralph Larson, formerchairman of the Church andDepartment of the Seventh-day Ad-ventist Theological Seminary FarEast, author of The Word was MadeFlesh.

Dave Ramsey, natural remedies in-structor and health educator.

Dr. Colin Standish, president ofHartland Institute, co-author (withhis brother Russell) of AdventismChallenged, Adventism VindicaLed, andothers.

Dr. Vernon Shafer and Dr. WynnKnowling, co-speakers on the much-appreciated Media and Mind Controltape series.

To Yakima

HopeJntcnwt iOIwi.,f.{!-

.

S....'Eatonville

CDSeattler 2:5

Exil /54 III 'Sea-Tac ...J...

Yelm

Tenino @507·

-Centralia

- Chehalis

Exil88

To

J,

OUf Firm FoundationP.O. Box 940Eatonville, WA 98328

(Address correction requested)

Bulk Ro.teU.S. Postage

PaidEatonville, WAPermit No.8